Trip Report: Osaka->Tokushima->Takamatsu->Okayama->Kobe->Osaka

[dimitri_can]

We took AK722 to KL, then waited for the morning to come before we set off to Osaka via the 8am flight.

Upon reaching Japan, i needed to get the exchange voucher for our Nankai train ride to Shin-Imamiya (新今宮) which i bought from Klook.

Then i found out that the counter is on the North Arrival Gate of the airport…. almost missed my train to Shin-Imamiya.

This is the Kansai Airport station as shown below.

Inside the train (originally costs 1400+ yen)…

Ordered a bunch of pens for my students to do flash cards of particles and question words.

It was my birthday, so the stationery came in the below package…

One of the drinks that i like to drink when i am in Japan…

 

[dimitri_can]

We headed off to Den-den Town (about 15 mins walk from our hotel) and went into animate..

And my favourite: Kotobukiya…

My student and i decided that we will have a good meal on the 1st night… so we went to an Izakaya (いざかや) to have our meal.

And of course, who would forget the famous Dotonbori (道頓堀)

This eye mask was used by my elder sister and i when we were taking turns to look after my aunt in the ICU…

You guys should give it a try.

Headed to Pablo to try some food.

 

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My green tea tart was a bit crushed, but still tasted very nice.

 

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On Day 2, we took a bus bound for Tokushima (徳島/とくしま), which is one of the prefectures of the Shikoku (四国/しこく) region.

Honestly speaking, our Shikoku part wasn’t well planned out, but we managed to have some fun riding an electronic scooter, which i will explain later in Day 4.

↓ was our breakfast for Day 2. St Marc’s croissant, one of the best croissants out here in Japan, i feel.

We also hanged out at one of the cafes while waiting for our bus.

Just look at the delicious looking cakes…

And the counter…

This was our bus to Tokushima, which costs 2300 yen if you book early enough. Your Japanese level should be about minimum N4 to book the tickets online.

Site: http://www.kaifu-kanko.co.jp

The whole journey took about 2.5 hrs. ↓ was the parking area that we stopped halfway..

Here we are. Tokushima. We stayed in Toyoko Inn, which was about 5 mins away from Tokushima station.

 

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Surroundings of Tokushima station.

For Day 2 lunch, we decided to settle for Tokushima Ramen.

You can read more about Tokushima Ramen here.

Tokushima Ramen (about 700-800 yen)

After lunch, we decided that we will roam around the city. For Tokushima, one of the best festivals that they have is Awa Odori. But too bad, we missed it by 1 week.

One of the spots: The Awa Odori Post box.

Another sightseeing spot: The place where they house the trains. Cant remember the name…

 

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After walking around the town, we took a 3 hour train ride to another sightseeing place: Ooboke/大歩危 (おおぼけ)

On the way back, we passed by a weird museum…

How the road looked like…

 

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While waiting for the train, i needed dinner. Past by one of the shops and bought a bento. What happened after that really shocked me. After the lady took out the bento from the microwave, the tomato sauce got onto my clothes, she actually brought me to the basin outside her shop, took some soap, washed the stain off for me. Not only that, afraid that i would be cold, she gave me 2 face towels and told me to put below my shirt, gave us 1 packet of tomato, which my student ate and sent us off to the train station (about 7 mins walk away). It made me realized that the countryside people are really much better than those in the city…

After another 2.5 hours journey back to Tokushima, we headed to another izakaya for supper.

The izakaya…. Tsukune (minced chicken meat ball)

Grilled chicken

Gyoza

Egg roll

Radish salad

Oden

Damage: about 3000 yen per person…
Really enjoyable day…

 

[TonyDelPiero]

Ah!!!! I miss Shikoku. Very peaceful place. From 30 July? So, your trip were not affected by typhoon?

 

[dimitri_can]

not affected...

 

[TonyDelPiero]

not affected...

Great. I can have peace of mind planning another Japan Trip in Aug 2018.

Looking forward to your more photos here.

 

[dimitri_can]

Headed to Naruto. On the way there, we saw this sign (しあわせ一番町/The most Happy town)

We decided to take a train there since we were a bit early…

Saw this at the souvenir shop…

After about a 30 mins journey, we finally reached Naruto town…

 

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Whole sightseeing map of Naruto town

Naruto town mascot characters

We then took a bus wanting to go to the German museum. But opps, we missed our stop…
In the end, we took a taxi over..
Lunch was sushi.

Can you read the signage?

Had tempura as well, as i am allergic to some seafood.

Off to see Naruto!

Tokushima Koibito

 

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The sea…

The waves were very big, but we didnt manage to see much.. even via the boat..

Bye Naruto… Didnt enjoy too much here except for the waves..

Gave a treat to my student…

 

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Preparation for Awa Odori

Do you guys know that Lime (すだち) is the famous food for Tokushima?

Up 眉山 (Bizan)

Night View of Tokushima

Then it was dinner time at my favorite Matsuya (680 yen)

We had melon for fruits for supper.

Day 3 gone just like that… Time flies so fast when you are travelling to another country…