Two weeks' trip to Japan二週間の旅：日本の田舎の方面に前進
(across Kanto Region and San'in Region)
~ going further into the less developed regions of Japan to explore the nature
二週間の旅：日本の田舎の方面に前進
Flying from Hong Kong to Narita, Tokyo visa Osaka Kansai Airport, I landed in Japan on 14 Nov 2013. In spite of concern over the possible nuclear radiation exposure from Northeast Japan, I decided to come to Kanto Region (Tokyo) to visit my Japanese friend for a couple days before joining another friend for the upcoming trip to San'in Region (the Southwest Japan, farther from Kansai Region).
香港から大阪経由東京成田空港に到着したのは11月14日だ。日本人の友達と何年間も会った事ないのでぜひ東京に行かないとって思った僕。東京に行くのはもう初めてではないが、今回の数日は本当に日本の不況が目に入ってきた。なんと、信じられない程度の激安い店いっぱいあるのをびっくりした。とくに池袋駅の周りにいろいろな「省金」できるみせがどれでも発見された！だか交通費用はまだとても高いという現実は変わらなかったという。
Having stayed at Narita, Ikebukuro and Asakusa at Tokyo for three nights, I took a long haul bus (12 hours) directly from Shinjuku to Okayma at a price of 6,500 Yen.
Poor ventilation and a constant stop every 2-3 hours for a short break has made everyone on the bus pretty hard to sleep well. However, saving one night for accommodation and the flight ticket from Tokyo to Okayama, this bus was indeed fully booked with the majority of passengers being young people.
The hood underneath each chair that covers your head
The reason I decided to go around San'in Region was the luring JR 3-day San'in Pass that only priced 4,000 Yen - simply take any one mid haul trip along the San'in line, that's already 4,000 Yen. So you earn any extra trips for a cost of zero within four days after the first one.
Day One: Okayama to Tottori > Tottori to Kurayoshi (Misasa Onsen)
Day Two: Kurayoshi to Ooda (Iwami Ginzan) > Ooda to Matsue
Day Three: Matsue to Izumo > Izumo to Okayama via Matsue
With the pass, I guess you save at least 10,000 yen for the whole trips if you travel frequently during the three days. But be reminded that San'in line is less frequent and in many cases, Tokkyu (Express) Trains are limited. Also, traveling along the San'in line is very time consuming so be prepared to get up early every day to ensure you manage your time well!
The most spectacular parts of my trip were Iwami Ginzan and Izumo Taisha, the UNESCO and the renowned cultural heritages. You find only a few visitors over the San'in Region possibly due to the inconvenient transport system. Out of expectations, however, you find no differences of service standard as compared to other parts of Japan; and still the staff at tourist information is always helpful to promote the heritages to foreign visitors. Facing the sea of Japan directly, the weather is pretty cold with a strong breeze around the region for the whole day.
After completion of the san'in trip, I returned to Okayama, heading east to the artistic outlying islands - Naoshima and Shodoshima.
I decided to stay at Takamatsu for one night and only did a day trip to Naoshima.
Naoshima known as Benesse Art Site Naoshima is an island full of artistic work. The famous fantastic work pumpkins are the symbol of the island which you can find at the ferry pier and the far end of the beach near Benesse Art Museme. The road at Naoshima is pretty suitable for walking or cycling. Unless you want to explore every museum of the island, a one day trip is enough to take a glimpse!
In the sequent two days, I went to Shodoshima to visit three main sites: Kankakei , Olive Garden and Twenty four eyes movie village.
Kankakei is unexpectedly specular for red leaves appreciation that is a must see site when one comes to Shodoshima. Once you arrive at ferry pier, you should take the bus to Kankakei immediately as the bus route does not frequently run.
On the next day, I went to Olive Garden and the movie village to wrap up my trip to Shodoshima. At night, I first took a ferry to Takamatsu, then I transferred to Kobe for an overnight ferry that was only 3000 yen something.
Arriving at Kobe in the early morning, I headed to Kyoto - Arashiyama immediately. Unfortunately, the weather was bad.
On the next day, I visited the Fushiji Inari Temple that received the 2nd ranking among all sites in Japan by foreigners at Tripadviser.com. Each wooden torii represents the donation by each party. Passing through the countless torii was like going through a time tunnel. No wonder why it becomes so popular among foreign tourists.
Many people gave up the whole route in the midst but I was determined to complete it. There was nothing special at top of the hill but it was simply an enjoyment for the whole experience. Then I discovered the sign that directed to Tofukuji where I and my friend were the only tourists that decided to try it.
Thanks to a local old man whom gave suggestions on the direction and the sightseeing spots, after taking some photos at the outskirt of Tofukuji, I headed towards the Senyuji that takes a further half an hour walk from Tofukuji. It was believed to be a very good decision as the views were comparatively beautiful with other renowned spots at Kyoto.
Having been walk around Kyoto for half day, it had already come to dark when I arrived at Kiyomiji. As this was the second time I went to the temple, I decided to skip it to avoid the crowds coming from all corners.
On the last night, I stayed at a place close to Kansai Airport in order to catch the morning flight. I had a delicious meal at the department store for just 700 yen! Very cheap and yummy! This also marked the farewell to my 14 days trip to Japan! I will definitely come to Japan again.
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