Peter's 2023 Japan Trip

The hotel has lots of nice details like the Japanese cloud design on the hall carpet. The ceramic coffee cups in the room are also pretty cool.

The hotel has a signature cocktail called Beppu Jigoku, which literally means Beppu Hell. Beppu has a lot of hells, seven to be exact. These hells are hot-springs that are too hot to bathe in, and would be fatal if you did. The cocktail gets its name from its colour and fortunately not it's temperature. Very tasty drink. It also came with canapes.

This is the view of Beppu.

Been a while since I've been to Beppu and this is a hotel I always wanted to try ever since it opened. This is my room. Lots of hand carved wood. It even has an outdoor hot-springs bath.

Now passing through rural Kyushu on the way to the hot spring city of Beppu.

On the Shinkansen heading west from Hiroshima to the island of Kyushu. Grabbed some Crab Inari sushi before boarding. Inari sushi is said to be a favourite of Japanese foxes, which gives the sushi its name. Inari is a Shinto harvest spirit, and he/she is served by foxes.

Monju are small soft rice flour pastries with a filling, traditionally read bean but more modern varieties have fillings like custard or chocolate. The local version is in a shape of a maple leaf as Miyajima is famous for its maple trees.

Found a nice restaurant close to where I staying with interesting local food. Three different styles of gyoza (Japanese version of Chinese dumplings): baby sardines, oysters and lemon were the flavours. Hiroshima Beef and lastly deep fried oysters washed down with a local craft beer. The maple leaf indicates nearby Miyajima (proper name is Itsukushima) Island and not Canada. You may have seen photos of a red Japanese Shinto gate rising out of the sea, that's Miyajima.

There is an old Eucalyptus tree (yellow box gum) on the grounds of Hiroshima Castle. It with a couple of other trees survived the atomic bomb blast even though they were only around 750 metres from the point of detonation. These trees are known as holy trees.

Hiroshima Castle has a museum inside which documents the history of the castle. This sword is called a tachi. There isn't that much difference between a tachi and a katana but a tachi is suspended from a belt with the blade facing down. where a katana is worn blade facing up and is tucked into a belt or sash. The small blade is a tanto or dagger.

Modern Hiroshima Castle is a reconstruction of the old castle which was obliterated in the 1945 Atomic bombing. The bomb destroyed the wooden structures only leaving the stone foundations. The reconstruction was done by using the same materials as the original.

Staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Hiroshima, which is conveniently located right next to the station.

Back at the hotel I tried a Matcha martini. A very smooth drink made from Kyoto Gin and Suntory Matcha liqueur.

Japanese like what they call B-rank food. What a lot of people on the internet call Japanese street food is actually this type of food, what to a lot of Japanese is local comfort food. Most Japanese food is served in restaurants rather than from street stalls. In Hiroshima, probably the most famous B- rank food is Okonomiyaki. The Okonomiyaki we get in Australia is usually Osaka style. Hiroshima adds noodles to the mix and at the restaurant I eat in you had a choice of Udom (wheat noodles) or soba (buckwheat noodles). I went for soba.

Oysters are a local delicacy in Hiroshima. They have a different flavour to Australian oysters (or American oysters). The place where I had lunch does them steamed in the shell. Also had scallop nigiri sushi.

The view of Yokohama on the way to the airport (Tokyo Haneda)

In the foyer of the Prince Hotel, just around the corner from Yokohama Arena.

These five women not only are great musicians but they also know how to put on a show. Over three and a half hours non stop entertainment. Yes, blue roses are a thing in Japan thanks to Suntory and a spot of genetic engineering.

Good view of Fujisan on my way into Haneda airport.

On my way to Yokohama for the day.

Tasty curry and rice at a cafe in Takamatsu.

There was a lion Fance performance in the streets of Takamatsu.

Angel road is a chain of small islands that are linked by sand bars. You can walk between them at low tide.

More colourful art on the street.

Olives are a major product on Shodoshima

The normal ferry which takes vehicles as well, takes about an hour to cross over to Shodoshima.

AKA, fried oysters

More colourful street decorations

Crossing the bridge to Shikoku. It has a rail line on the Lower level of the bridge with road traffic on the level above.

Had an evening stroll after dinner.