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Atami – Onzen and biking around Izu peninsula
Kumiko booked us at a great hotel – Hotel Soki Atami. Atami is a famous hotel resort/onzen town on Izu peninsula about 45min Shinkansen ride from Tokyo. The town boome during the bubble period late 80’s as a fancy resort – easily reachable from Tokyo. It later sort of faded in the early 2000’s but…
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Downtown Osaka
Today we took the train to Osaka. Walked around downtown and looked at all the great signs in the crowded streets … If you don’t like crowds this is probably not the place for you … In the evening we drove up into the mountains and had dinner at a great kaiseki restaurant in an…
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Uji tea tasting and Byodo temple
Yesterday we took the train to Kyoto – rented some bikes and drove down to Uji. Uji is just south of Kyoto and famous for green tea and macha. At the tea museum we learned about the history of green tea in Japan and the different types of tea and how they are produced ……
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Shimanami Kaido – Ikuchi Island to Onomichi
Today was a shorter 35km ride from Ikuchi Island to Onomichi on the main land. The coast route we took today had more towns and construction along the coast. We saw a lot more bikers today – maybe because we are within “day trip” range for folks visiting from Hiroshima and surroundings. Grilling my Saba…
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Shimanami Kaido – Imabari to Ikuchi Island.
Shiminami Kaido is a popular bike ride going from Onomichi on Honshu to Imabari on Shikoku island. You island hop and can stay on multiple island. There are multiple bike rental shops at either ends. If you go more or less straight it’s 70km. Most folks stay overnight on one of the islands like we…
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Henro trail – Daiho to Iwaya temple.
Today we did the walk from Daiho temple to Iwaya temple on the Henro pilgrimage trail. The Henro trail goes all around Shikoku island through a total of 88 temples. The whole trail is about 1200km. We started at Daiho, about 12-13km through the mountains to Iwaya. Daiho Temple – our starting point Starting the…
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Japan – Ozu – Shikoku island
Landed in Matsuyama – buying drinks at the airport for the trip to Ozu. Ozu is a small town on the Hiji river in Ehime prefecture on Shikoku Island. Arrived at Kumiko’s parents house in Ozu. The house is about 200 years old. Moving into our tatami rooms … Liv, Felix, Kumiko and Hiroko in…