Japan: Week 5

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

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1. Kumano Kodo & Gorge
2. Katsuura, Nachi, & Nagoya
3. Nagoya & Yamaguchi
4. Akiyoshidai & Asa
5. Asa & Matsue
6. Matsue & Kanazawa
7. Kanazawa & Wajima

Here is a map of the route we took and the exact places. Wow did we make it far during our first week. We were traveling at the speed of a Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train)! Sadly Google Map doesn't allow you to have all those points while in public transportation mode, but we did travel the entire way on JR train.

 

Rice field in Takahara about 4 hrs
into our pilgrimage

Woods on between Takahara
and Jujo-oji

Val found the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage on the National Geographic website. After the Onaida Nature Trail I was a little hesitant to go on another Japanese hike, but since National Geographic recommended it, we thought it shouldn’t be too hard, so we began our pilgrimage. The beginning of our hike began in a slight sprinkle but it eventually dried out. The cloud formations and atmosphere or the whole hike was miraculous. With the mist rolling in through the woods, the bright orange crabs crawling by, dark red wood chips covering the walkway, and the bright green leaves, the pilgrimage was interesting, but not as easy of a hike as we had hoped. At one point, we came out at a hilltop village surrounded by rice fields all the way near the top of this mountain range in the Kii Peninsula. By this time, we were completely exhausted, even though it was only six in the evening. We opted to set up our home and go to sleep. The next day we finished our pilgrimage, which ended at the next closest bus stop that would take us to the shrines.

Dorokyo Gorge in Shiko

Dorokyo Gorge in Shiko

Kurano Nashi Grand Shrine Torii

We eventually made our way the Grand Nachi Shrine, which was located by one of the tallest waterfalls in Japan. At the top of the stairs to the shrine, we were greeted by the unforgettable scent of incense. The pagoda with the waterfall in the distance was remarkable, even now it looks like it was photo-shopped, and the experience was surreal. The shrine was one of the best that we visited and the different shops that lined some of the walk-ways were nice. I found a fantastic re-usable bag for Val.

Kurano Nashi Pagoda
with "tallest" waterfall
in Japan

Leaving the Kii Peninsula we headed for Nagoya, which is also the closest connection to the Shinkansen to our next location. Interestingly we could not find a park in Nagoya to camp out in, but we did find a park-ish area that was around the Nagoya Noh Theater and that is where we slept. It was a great find for us. It was a little farther away from traffic, so it was quieter. In addition, it had less foot traffic as well, so we were able to sleep in.

After visiting a few other destinations, we eventually made it to Kanazawa. Before leaving this destination for the rice fields, we had to check out the castle. We had previously checked out Himeji Castle, but could not enter the main castle as it is under renovation. Here was us hoping we could see the interior of Kanazawa Castle…alas the actual castle was destroyed hundreds of years ago and they are working on reconstructing the castle following old photos, plans, and pieces that had survived from the original.

Japan: Week 4

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

http://worldgallivant.com

1. Toyota & Osaka
2. Osaka, Ikeda, & Takeda
3. Takeda to Shirahama
4. Shirahama
5. Shirahama
6. Shirahama to Kii-Tanabe
7. Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage

Here is a map of the route we took and the exact places. Wow did we make it far during our first week. We were traveling at the speed of a Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train)! Sadly Google Map doesn't allow you to have all those points while in public transportation mode, but we did travel the entire way on JR train.

We went from a rain forest to an automobile factory in Toyota. Yes, it’s named after the Toyoda family which owns Toyota. Val found a sign out by the water fountain that said “this is not a gargle station”. Our response was “What is a gargle station and why is there a sign against it?” It was our next mission: where/what is the gargle station and why do they have it in an automobile museum. Going into the women’s bathroom there was a random spout maybe that is it…so we had to take a video of this new and amazing contraption. The spout shot amazing tasting minty goodness into your mouth so that you could gargle it and have lovely smelling breath. 

We both tried it out and really wanted one back in the states. Oh, the Japanese have so many cool gadgets all over the place. The gargle station was probably the highlight of our tour at the Toyota Kaikan Museum.

Osaka, Tempozan Ferris 

Wheel from the ferry dock

During our return visit to Osaka, we decided to stay near the Tempozan Ferris wheel, one of the largest in the world. It was a good place that was out of the main city, plus we could check one of our attractions off the list: riding the Ferris wheel. Although the major cities were one of the main things we were extremely excited about when planning the trip, they didn’t really live up to all the hype. The very next day we visited the Instant Ramen Museum and then off to Takeda.

Takeda Castle Ruins

Takeda Castle Ruins were in middle of nowhere. We had just reached Takeda city right before the last bus left to the castle ruins. The ruins have been quoted as being the castle in the sky, since on occasion it is completely shrouded in clouds. Catching the very last bus to the ruins, it allowed us to catch the sun setting, creating very beautiful photos and an astonishing atmosphere.

Shirahahama beach in Shirahama

Both Val and I were whipped out from all of the travel back and forth. We needed a little break from moving at the speed of a Shinkansen. We knew that if we wanted to go on the National Geographic hike on Kii Peninsula we needed to head near the beginning of the hike, which is located by Shirahama. Getting off the bus in complete darkness we were unsure of where the beach was as you could not see the sand or anything, you couldn't even smell the salt air of the ocean. The driver sounded sure and even insisted that we were at the Shirarahama beach, so we had to trust him. Low and behold, the bus drove away and poof there were the palm leaves rustling in the slight ocean breeze and the sound of the crashing waves in the dark; we were officially at the beach, which was very reassuring to both Val and I. The next morning we awoke to the sound of waves, crows, and toes in the sand. This beach is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been.  We had found a tropical paradise in Japan just by chance!