Category: Japan
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Recuperating
Even though the abrasions did no longer seem as bad as yesterday, I decided that onsen (especially the saltwater one) might be a good idea to clean out the wounds. But generally not the best idea.So, as unhappy as I was, I skipped this relaxation method for today. Instead, I just did a short round…
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Mt Fuji
The highest mountain of Japan and somewhat holy.After it was not clear if we could actually go up today or tomorrow, the weather forecast was finally good enough. The bus from Fujinomiya Station to the 5th trail station leaves at 6:35, seats are on a first comes first served basis. So getting there early sounded…
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Travelling by train
Today is a bit of a boring day. Got up way before breakfast was served, hopped on a local train to Shin-Aomori and went for the Shinkansen all the way to Tokyo. In Tokyo, we needed to change train stations from one JR line to the next. Not very difficult but suddenly a lot more…
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Hirosaki castle
Japan and no castle? The demolished one in Sendai does not count. Definitely possible. During the Meji restoration, a lot of the seats of power of the feudal lords have been demolished. Hirosaki castle is, therefore, better known to be one of the most desirable backdrops for the cherry blossoms than as a stately attraction.…
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Back into the sea, good lunch and Aomori in nice
Official point in the itinerary: Beach holidays. So we went to the next beach next to Aomori. Again, a short trip with the local train to Asamushi Onsen. No helicopter or search and rescue this time. But baywach. Well, a few gals and guys making sure nobody drowns. The water was at 28 degrees, but…
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Transfer to Aomori
The struggle gets real. Where are the taifuns going to go? Will we be able to travel to Fuji? But first, we will go back onto the right island today. Until 9 years ago, this would have been a train ride to a ferry and then several hours over the sea to Aomori. Now, it…
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Rainy days and museums
It’s raining today. The reason might be the taifun no 3 that is coming up the east coast of Japan and trying to give us a bit of a scare. It started to upgrade from drizzle to rain at half past 11 last night. And now the question is what to do?The official programme calls…
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Sapporo. – Beach and Beer
It’s hot, it’s humid and you are next to the sea. So why not go for a short stint at a nice little sandy beach? Zenibako is that beach for if you are in Sapporo. Just a short train ride from the main station. The first thing I heard when alighting from the train was…
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Ainu museum in Shiraoi
Shiraoi is again small village a short train ride away from Tomakomai. And after depositing our luggage in the hotel lobby, this was today’s destination. The Ainu, being the original inhabitants of Hokaido and the islands to the north, have been subject to the changes of the borders between Japan and Russia a lot. Looking…
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Smelly, hellish, hot floor ground and hot shipping port water
Today’s trip was to “Jikukodani” (“hells gorge”) in the hills of Noboribetsu.Public traffic is a bit different in Hokkaido. As the whole island is more rural traffic is more car centric than the main island. This makes it a bit more challenging to get by using public transport. And the IC cards get a lot…