DS88's Solo Kyushu & Kansai Koyo Hunt 2013

[Deathskull88]

Figured I do a trip report of my own, not merely to share my experience, but also to help myself recall the events in case my memory fails me in the future, which is quite likely hahaha! As this is my first attempt, I hope the uploading of photos will be successful and please do tolerate my poor phototaking skills


Solo trip was from 17/11 to about 30/11

Itinerary destinations:

Tokyo
Hiroshima
Kyushu
Kyoto
Osaka
Nagoya

 

[Deathskull88]

In Sg:

Booked my MAS flight for about 517sgd from Expedia.
Changed my yen at about 80yen to the sg dollar at The Arcade
Booked my accomodations from the hotel websites, Agoda, Rakuten, Jalan.net.
Ordered Econnect's 300Kbps data sim card online to be delivered to hotel.
Bought the JR pass voucher from Follow Me Japan, paid in yen.
Booked my car(s) from toCoo!

 

[Deathskull88]

Flight day:

My flight time was 8am, with 2 hours transit at KLIA.

Spent the entire morning awake packing and doing last minute planning, dozing on and off. It was terrible, went to the airport thoroughly in need of sleep, with only adrenaline keeping me awake. Can't even remember if I had any breakfast.

Flight was uneventful, I was knocked out on the Sg-KL flight. At KLIA, went to Coffeebean for coffee. Met and chatted with an acquaintance whom I knew was taking the same flight to Narita. Would have loved to hang out together in Tokyo if not for the fact that I had limited time there.

Needless to say, was knocked out again on the flight to Narita. Flight was great, have always enjoyed my flights with the airline.

Reached Narita at about 6.30pm and cleared customs without a hitch. Said goodbye to my friend and parted ways. Went to the airport's JR ticket office to exchange my JR pass voucher for a 14days JR Rail Pass.

Proceeded to take the NEX to Shin-Yokohama station. Not all NEX trains go to that station. Checked Hyperdia beforehand.

On the NEX train. Very few people, as usual, hehe.


Reached Shin-Yokohama. Why did I choose this place instead of Tokyo? Because it is also a Shinkansen station and it will be easier for me for my next destination.

Proceeded to SuperHotel's Shin-Yokohama branch. Just a 10 minutes walk away. The Japanese receptionist had a bit of a hard time conversing with me in English but we managed to understand each other I also collected my Econnect data sim, which was delivered beforehand to the hotel.

After dumping my luggage, went out to explore the immediate area. The street was quite dead as it was already about 9pm++
Went to a Ramen joint to eat my dinner, setup the Econnect sim card and went back to the Hotel to rest.

Thus ended my first night, alone in Japan.

 

[Deathskull88]

1st day: Tokyo

Woke up and prepared myself, and went down to the cafeteria to have free breakfast. The spread was quite good: Croissants, eggs, sausages and others I forgotten. The guests were mainly Japanese. The cafeteria workers were hardworking, cheerful and polite. It was awesome to experience it again after so long.

Took my time to eat and do research on my tablet(Which I observed from my whole trip, Japanese themselves very rarely carry or use tablets, at least in public). In the end, I was the only guest left. The staff were clearing up, and knowing that breakfast time was over, I hastened to eat up. The kind staff noticed and beckoned me to take my time and gestured me to take the free drinks from the vending machines , which is free flow during the breaskfast time. And which I stupidly forgotten to take as I thought they cost money. And also the time allocated for free drinks was coming to a close. I thanked the staff and took a 2 cups worth before the time expired.

Went out to buy water from the convenience store and headed to Tokyo. Namely, Shinjuku. The agenda that day was purely shopping.

Shinjuku, at the part where the electronic shops are. Yodabashi and BIC Cameras among the big shops here.

But I have come for Map Camera, to buy a 2nd hand camera which I have planned to use for the entire trip. Was served by a tallish Japanese salelady who was efficient and polite. A great shopping experience. The shop has a mix of clientele: tourists and Japanese. And this shop does tax rebates right at the counter. Merchandise can come and go very fast, so rarer goods may disappear on an subsequent visit.

One of my destinations that day was Nakano Broadway. Figurines, anime goods, related books, Japanese Manga. The main shop of Mandarake, which is also in Akiba, is here. I just came to scout the place out, for subsequent visits 2 weeks later.

Shopping Arcade in Nakano, leading to the holy grail. Full of people and shops and eateries.

The 2nd reason why I came to Nakano Broadway. The Fujiya Camera shop(s) sells mainly 2nd hand camera goods. Came by here to pick up some accessories and to scout a replacement lens. Bustling with customers, mainly Japanese.

Also went to the Kanda district for cold wear shopping. In the end, only managed to buy a pair of insulated alpine gloves. Bought a whole lot at Uniqlo too.

Went back to the same Ramen joint at Shin-Yokohama for dinner. Packed my things for the next day and slept. Thus ends my first day in Tokyo

 

[kifo]

What camera stuff did you buy?

 

[Deathskull88]

2nd day: Hiroshima

Woke up very early, intending to take the very first Shinkansen to Hiroshima. The train leaves at 6am sharp. Check out was very simple. The staff gave me free sweets for returning unused toiletries, haha!

Brisk walked to the station, made it on time. Forgot what I ate for breakfast, something I bought the night before. The Shinkansen ride was going to be 4 hours straight.

As the journey went towards Kansai, I saw Fuji yet again.

After a long journey, I reached Hiroshima at around 10am, as advertised haha. Japan trains are really something else!

The hotel I am staying is a bit of a distance away. I could take a tram from the train station but I opted to walk. It was a 15-20mins walk. After depositing my luggage with the hotel staff, I went out again.

A canal right next to the hotel. A few Koyo trees sighted. Seemed like the bloom has passed here.

Went to the local Uniqlo to get a few more things, mainly autumn wear. Tried to ask the staff there about stuff, had a hard time conversing in English until she spoke to me in mandarin, sensing I might know. I was pretty surprised yet it made my enquires much easier. This will be the first of many times in my trip that I realise, belately, that the Chinese have been flocking to Japan in droves.

Made my way to Miyajima. My first real destination of my Koyo Hunt. There were also many other tourists making their way there, mainly Japanese. I reached there a bit later than I had planned. It was about 2-3pm when I reached.

Patronised this shop in 2012 for Sakura season snacks. This time I came for Autumn season snacks. It's pretty nice and business was brisk.

On the ferry ride to the island. With the JR pass, the ride is free

Did a bit of a walk through the 'Momijidani'. Took me sometime and this was what I got for my effort

The lushest Koyo tree(s) I have sighted on Miyajima that day

 

[Deathskull88]

The other purpose I came here for. To hike to the pinnacle of Mount Misen. Hmm, 3 hike courses. Let's pick the hardest.

Stone steps and more stone steps. No Koyo, just steps and evergreens. And steps.

After a difficult hike, partly because daylight was ending soon, I reached the top. The viewing platform was still under construction.

What happened next was exciting, at least for me. Instead of reversing my course, I went down another direction, thinking that I should loop back to the course I came up on. Big mistake. The path does not seem to lead to anywhere and the sun was setting very very fast. I continued regardless and soon the main pathways were gone and I was going down a small dirt pathway like those only locals would use. Felt like bashing though a jungle. Day light was gone and I had to use my small maglite which luckily I brought.

I had no idea where I was going, I just knew any path downwards was better than nothing. I was curiously both panicking and calm. My mind was contemplating spending the night alone in that wilderness. I had the few snacks I bought earlier for rations. I thought about the cold. All these, while just walking downwards.

Finally reached a tarred vehicle road, I was so relieved. But I am not out of the woods just yet(pardon the pun hehe). The whole area was still heavily forested and I still had no idea where I was. I continued along the road, listening to the crickets. After a long long walk, I reached a road sign. At last I had some bearings on where I was. I continued my way for another long stretch of walking, by which time, my knees were hurting like hell, due to my hasty descent.

After passing a couple of oddly parked presumably empty cars in remote places, a couple of rural houses, a frightened small piglet, an eerie looking but lighted car tunnel, I finally reached the vicinity of the Tori gate.

My little adventure lasted about 2-3 hours. Luckily the ferry runs until 9-10pm. I made my way back to my Hiroshima hotel and then made my way to Hondori street and to Okonomimura, for their famed Okonomiyaki.

They have all these tented street stalls lining the pedestrian street selling street food and other stuff. There were lots of people. I tried a few of the food, not bad. There were numerous stalls selling Okonomiyaki too. But I wanted to eat in a proper eatery so I didnt try.

As the time was quite late, many of the Okonomiyaki stores were closed. I had to search quite a bit to find one still open. And this one was packed with Japanese, for their late night gatherings. I took a bar seat and managed to order despite the language barrier. The chef cooked right infront of me. It was really nice!

There was a Don Quixote there, and it was HUGE! They have everything in there, and it opens till late late. I bought a lot of snacks and drinks. A lot of China staff on duty. On the way to the hotel, I unwittingly passed through the red light district and was propositioned by a guy with excellent english(after mistaking me for Japanese) to his hostess bar, haha. Politely declined him.

Went back to the hotel, cleaned up and finally rested after a long and exhausting day.

 

[Deathskull88]

What camera stuff did you buy?

I bought the fujifilm XE1, 2nd hand. At the same time I was buying it, an old Japanese おじさん beside me was picking up his preordered brand new XE2, hahaha. I wanted to tell him his stuff was the bomb, too bad I don't know Japanese

 

[[M]aiev]

Nice thread ! How much you paid for that cam

 

[Deathskull88]

3rd day: Kumamoto

Woke up early and dragged my luggage to the Hiroshima station. Took the Shinkansen to Hakata.

Reached Hakata in about 1.5hrs

Hakata station is pretty big and at the entrance, a police troupe was performing

Walked about 15 minutes to my hotel, which was just opposite Canal City. Left my luggage with them and walked back to Hakata station for the train ride to Kumamoto.

Kumamoto station. From here I took a tram to Kumamoto Castle.

The grounds of Kumamoto Castle is quite big, with several turret buildings to visit. I bought a combination ticket, where I can visit a preserved house of historical importance. I spent too much time on the castle so missed that completely.

The Castle when the sun is down. The interior of the castle is filled with preserved items of war: guns, armours and swords, history of the place. Mostly in Japanese explanation tho, so not very friendly to non-Japanese visitors.

Afterwards I hung around the shopping arcade nearby. Ate at a homely Ramen joint, the Tonkotsu ramen was super delicious. The pork was so tender and juicy! After that, I journeyed back to Hakata.

It was a month before Christmas, hence the decorations. Which was quite nice. Plus there was a small water light show synchronised to music.

Went back to the hotel room, dropped my stuff and went out to look for dinner 2.0. Headed to where the Yatai supposedly were. Didn't eat in one. Went instead to a Ichiran outlet to eat my 2nd bowl of ramen.

Somehow, I managed to walk through their 'entertainment' district again haha! Saw some hotties about but also quite a few tipsy salarymen. That area gave off a rough vibe but nothing befell me.

Walked a long way back to the hotel and ended my day.

 

[Deathskull88]

Nice thread ! How much you paid for that cam

Thanks i guess hah. I paid about 850-900sgd I think, for the XE1 body with 18-55mm kit lens

 

[evilerniex]

nice write-up!

 

[Deathskull88]

Day 4: Yufuin, Kuju mountains

Woke up early again, checked out and dragged my increasingly heavy luggage to the Hakata train station. It was still dark when i left the hotel. Nearly missed the Limited Express train direct to Yufuin, at 745am.

The other passengers were few: An old uncle and 2 young girls, whom I am guessing worked at Yufuin. It is not as nice as the Yufuin no Mori, but not to say the interior is crappy either. There were some nice scenery to be seen on route, too bad the rising sun marred some of the scenery.

Reached Yufuin at 10am. Even tho it was a weekday, there were quite a few tourists.

Most of the shops were still closed when I arrived.

The bus station to take the bus to Kuju mountains(and also to other places) from Yufuin if u so wish

Hello hello, what do we have here? A horse drawn carriage, totally unexpected

This petrol station is also the car rental place in Yufuin on ToCoo!'s list. The one and only, if I am not mistaken.

 

[Deathskull88]

The dude is the one that handled my rental application. Polite, young, energetic, efficient. Knows some basic English, so took a short while to get everything settled. A pleasant experience, which was not the same with a grouchy uncle in Kawaguchiko 2 weeks later.

I think it was a Toyota, 1000cc. Initially wanted a K-car, 660cc. But this outlet does not have such cars for rental. Did not regret it tho, as the coming journey required me to make some 'speedy' drives. Would not have done it as well on a K-car. The ToCoo! site stated it does not have a English GPS. Turns out the rental guy managed to set it to half English: The user interface is half English, and the directional voice is in English. Good enough for me


To be honest, I was a bit nervous since I seldom drive but I did drive in Melbourne 2 months earlier and the sparse traffic in Yufuin helped my confidence. So after settling in my car, off I went!

Sun was up and weather was cool, traffic was light. Drove down the famed Yamanami Highway, also known as Route 11. Most of the Koyo along the route has already past the bloom stage but still there will be nice bunches like this

This row of pine? trees were quite nicely planted. Had to stop at the road shoulder to take a shot. There are numerous small but tarred rest spots along the road. This one happened to be on gravel.

Also, there are numerous rest stops(道の駅, Michi no eki)where usually a local cafe cum local produce seller are situated. I did see a few tour buses parked too, probably carrying Japanese tourists.

 

[Deathskull88]

Some Michi no eki happen to be situated at scenic lookouts like this. Which is awesome

Some more eye candy, hehe

My first stop before Kuju-san. The Kokonoe Dream Suspension Bridge. Supposedly the tallest or biggest suspension bridge in Japan.

Quite a number of tourists there, mainly Japanese. The bridge is wide enough for 2 people to walk side by side.

The valley below the bridge. As u can see, a few Koyo popping up randomly. I suppose I missed the peak period.

On the other side, there is a cafe and an observation post where entrance requires a small fee. The bridge could also be entered from this side. U have to keep the ticket stub to prove that u purchased it from the other side or else u will have to buy the ticket again.

 

[kifo]

Nice report! Wow that was scary that you still went down the Mount Misen even though your photo was showing that it was evening already. I think you should have taken the cable car down, or was it not running already? Not to sound too cowardly, but going down a unfamiliar mountain on an unfamiliar path in the dark is a serious undertaking. Thankfully you at least have a maglite.

Looking forward to your report on the Kuju highland!

 

[Deathskull88]

Next stop, Kuju-san!

Not a long drive away from the bridge. The sight of the mountain was great, the camera just cannot capture the real deal. Was very surprised to see snow and frost on the bushes along the road when nearing the mountain.
Wasn't really prepared for cold weather for this hike since it was only autumn. Started to worry a bit. And I took too much time at the bridge, so time was a bit tight.

Parked at one of the 2 entrances along Route 11, where I have already planned my hiking route. There were quite a number of cars parked too, evidence that the Japanese are avid hikers.

Having seen the snow just now, I prepared myself. I wore soooo many layers haha! Jacket, sweaters, cashmere, heattech, wool, 2 layers of Merino wool socks, basically almost the whole lot. I must have looked pretty puffed up. An a total amateur cool weather hiker. Packed additional clothings, rations and scarves.

Then came the first major obstacle. See the smooth rounded stone steps? They were slippery as hell due to the melted ice. Tried several times to climb it but failed. Nearly had a bad fall. I was stunned. Was I about to give up on a hike I had spent quite sometime planning? I was unwilling to do so and hung about, wondering what to do.
Met a few hikers coming down from their hikes. And one middle aged couple spoke to me, in Japanese. All I could make out was it was cold up there and its getting late. I thanked them and pondered again.
Then it struck me. The small troughs by the side of the steps were actually full of shoeprint. So I tried to ascend by grabbing the branches and putting my feet in the mud.
Yes! Success. Thus I was able to continue with my hike. Total total amateur, haha

On the way up, the path is more of the dirt/mud type so not much slippery parts. Met quite a number of hikers going the opposite direction. All Japanese of all ages and genders and all exchanged 'Konnichiwa' greetings with me. I am the only one going up at this hour.
I must have looked odd to them, they were all decked out in hiking gear(proper and expensive), while I was wearing improvised clothes(improper and cheap). And lugging an increasingly heavy camera.

The scenery of the mountain was very nice. To me at least. Rocky, muddy, bushy, frosty, grassy. Some parts like this were muddy wet. Lucky for my gore-tex hiking shoes which were plastered with layers of mud.

The hike wasn't really very hard but still, because of time constraint, I hiked at a brisk speed. Kept my eye on the watch as I ascended. Stopped to snap photos, of course.

As I made up way up, more parts of the path started to get snowy. And colder too. Some parts have somewhat steep drops down the side of the mountain path so I had to be careful not to slip or I will be in deep trouble.

Almost halfway to my intended destination and I get treated to landscapes like this. Still the only one going up, and those going down had dwindled to none. Looked at my watch, decided to stop continuing and head back down.
I am not about to repeat my Mount Misen adventure, with it fresh on my mind. Definitely not on a mountain with snow and slippery paths, where if I get stuck, I might be in mortal danger. A real pity I could not complete my intended course.

 

[hoshiyume]

May I know if there's any travel pass/card for tourist when traveling in the different cities?
Is the jr rail pass usable for other rides besides shinkansen? Eg train/tram/buses in hiroshima fukuoka etc

Any places to rec for kyuushu? Is it public transport friendly uh

 

[kifo]

What a pity you could not finish your hike! But it was a wise decision not to push further. I is always good to start early if you are going to hike, especially in autumn when the day is short.

If you are planning to do more winter hikes (low level) next time, consider investing in some microspikes for your footwear. They will be helpful for those icy situations.

 

[Deathskull88]

On the way down. Got to see 'holy' sights like this. Very nice, but still it also meant one thing, the sun was setting fast! Like all the autumn days on this trip, the sun was always racing down to the horizon. We were like competing in a race, lol I actually ran on short bursts at times, that was how much of a hurry I was, trying to outrun the sun

Just when I was certain that I was the only human being on this part of the mountain, out popped these 2 young Japanese hikers. Decked out in proper hike wear and carrying backpacks, they too were hurrying to reach the bottom. Haha! This had suddenly turned into a 4 entrants race
Well, it was not all pure competiting. 3 of us were awed by the beautiful sight of the setting sun enough to take photos. And we helped take each others' photos together with the fourth entrant: The Sun.

I won in the end, reached the bottom first. And proceeded to go to the public toilet, which was uncharacteristically dirty, to wash the mud off my shoes. They provided a few brushes and scrubs at the washing point. I did my best and took a breather on a bench. My competitors went into the shop beside to do some last minute purchases.

By the time I sorted myself out and was ready to drive off, I was the only person left, with the sun gone and everything was dark.

My next destination was at Takachiho, which was quite some distance away. I set up my GPS and went on my way.

Traffic was very little and since it was at night, the route did not matter as long as it was the shortest. The route the GPS had mapped out for me took me to some really deserted rural roads, still tarred tho.

I have to laugh at my inexperience in driving. 70% of the time, I had my car lights at low beam, thinking it was normal beam. And normal beam thought as high beam. I was wondering why the Japanese drivers always have their lights at 'high beam', being the somewhat considerate drivers that they are. They might have been thinking why this lone car has this idiot driver driving at low beam.

If u have driven in Japan, u know they can be somewhat strict with regards to their traffic laws. The maximum I can legally drive is about 60km/h. But it was so slow and boring, so on those empty rural roads, I sped up. Or else I would have taken at least an hour longer to reach Takachiho.
Not advocating speeding here, just sharing what I did, haha