Author: peterbhampson

Today we were gonna cover some ground. A lot of ground. 762 kms to be precise. Because today we were leaving Kinosaki Onsen for Fukuoka. The trip would require us to retrace our steps back to Kyoto before jumping on the Shinkansen for Fukuoka. And when you’re looking down the barrel of a day like that, there’s only one way to start. In the onsen.

Suitably bathed, we took a stroll, found some coffee and then it was time to leave our lovely ryokan – sayonara Mikuniya. We caught the regional express back to Kyoto and at first the only other person in our carriage was an older Japanese woman sitting quietly by herself. I expected her to doze or perhaps read a little – so I was surprised when a friend of hers boarded at the next stop. They unpacked an elaborate array of snacks, cracked open a couple of beers and began talking and laughing. It was just after 11 am. I love Japan.

Meanwhile, across the aisle we had no beer and were feeling anxious about making the connection to our next train – the Shinkansen to Fukuoka. We only had 10 minutes at crazy Kyoto station to jump from the regional express across to the Shinkansen – but we shouldn’t have worried. This is Japan and everything was perfectly, reassuringly, precisely on time. We made the train easily.

From there all we had to do was kick back and watch the scenery flash past as we headed west leaving the main island of Honshu behind bound for Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu.

We made it (on time of course) and dragged our bags to our Airbnb in the centre of town in the Tenjin area. We’d heard that Fukuoka was laid back but we hadn’t heard about how goddamn cool it was. Tenjin is chockers with cool bars, restaurants, cafes, record stores, vintage clothing shops. I could get used to this. There even seemed to be quite a few locals sporting tattoos. Still not that common in Japan. Anyway we found a bar, stumbled across a decent gyoza place for dinner and later got to indulge our newfound obsession with gachapon. Here is what Japanese website matcha says about gachapon:

Found in nearly every corner of Japan, gachapon, or gashapon, are machines selling capsule toys and other small items for a few hundred yen. With toys and trinkets ranging from keychains to figurines and pouches of all different varieties, gachapon is a unique aspect of Japan and an addictive form of entertainment.

And yes we are addicted. Fukuoka seems to have lots of gachapon arcades – so in we went. There was just time to cruise past the “yatai” or local street food stalls that Fukuoka is famous for. Then bed and sleep.

The entrance to our “usual” private onsen – Fuku. Cue lots of bad Austin Powers jokes – “Fuk-mi this onsen is hot. Fuk-u” etc etc.

This is private onsen Hana. OK the name isn’t as funny but it was a glorious way to start the day.

Dressing for the onsen is a serious business. In our yukata after our last onsen in Kinosaki.

Train snacks. On the regional express back to Kyoto en route to Fukuoka. They love packaging in Japan. Each one of the rice crisps in this bag came in its own separate pack.

The super fast Nozomi Sinkansen arrives at Kyoto station.

Speeding. On the Shinkansen bound for Fukuoka. Not pictured, the delicious ice cold Kirin beer I was sipping as I took this shot.

Finally in Fukuoka. At a craft beer place round the corner. Julie’s highball dwarfs my tiny IPA. Unfair.

Parco department store. Fukuoka.

In the gachapon (capsule toy vending machine) arcade. Jules makes the agonising decision about which toy to choose next.

A gachapon toy. Who wouldn’t be addicted?

Claw machine arcade options. Fukuoka.

We played. We lost. Claw machine arcade. Fukuoka.

We came to Kinosaki Onsen to get nude and wet, so we began the day the way we intended to continue – with a visit to one of the private onsen here at Mikuniya ryokan. After the dip we went (as usual) in search of coffee and were astounded to find some quality gear about 190 metres away. Yay etc.

Then we strolled to the other end of town (a 15 minute walk) to ride the Kinosaki Ropeway which is really just a smallish cable car thing that takes you from town to the top of Mount Daishi. The view from the top was spectacular and there were some cool temples and shrines half way down.

After a crab meat bun (Kinosaki is famous for some kind of massive crab, which I’m assuming is fresh water given how far inland we are?) and an iced cold beer, we steeled ourselves for a bit of public nudity. There are 7 public onsen in Kinosaki but we had our sights set on the coolest one (obviously) – Gonshono-Yu. It’s a gender separated onsen set in against a waterfall of hot spring water and heaps of natural vegetation.

So we split up, nuded up and jumped in with the mostly local patrons. And I do have to say it was incredible. Obviously no photos – soz. But it was relaxing and I’m trying to avoid using this word because it makes me sound way too uptight. But I’ll use it anyway – it was liberating. The setting was so beautiful with the waterfall cascading down, ferns and granite bolders everywhere. And the only other dudes in there were setting a great example of how to be nude without even trying.

To round out the decadence it was back to the ryokan for a fancy kaiseki style dinner. It seemed that we were the only two dining in (like I said it’s low season) so they put us in a little broom closet called the Sakura room. But it mattered not – the food was fresh, complicated, mysterious and yum.

Pink yukuta. On the way back to our room after a little dip.

Miraculous coffee.

Fancy rice crackers. Black sesame and some other spice mix. Served warm. A perfect post coffee snack.

Feeling scared, looking cheerful. Kinosaki Ropeway.

Pretty specky. The view from the top of Mount Daishi.

Tiny Buddha. Top of Mount Daishi.

Tiny praying dude. Top of Mount Daishi.

Kinosaki ropeway.

More tiny things.

Gorgeous Japanese maple. Mount Daishi.

Cemetery. Taken from the ropeway.

Pineapple mochi. Improbably delicious.

Kaiseki style dinner for two at Mikuniya. In a little broom closet for two. Squeezy but obviously v delicious. Note the local crab.

Gonshu-Yu bathhouse – public outdoor bathing area. From their website – not my pic obviously – I would have captured the beautiful cascading waterfall that feeds this onsen.

Time to leave Kyoto for somewhere a little less crazy. Time to take a breath. Time to get cleaned up. Time for Kinosaki Onsen.

But not right away obviously. First there was a half hearted morning run up to the Imperial Palace, final coffees from Weekender Coffee and lunch at Isetan department store (a delicious Omurice omelette dish with curry sauce and tempura – squeeee!). Finally into a regional train bound for Kinosaki Onsen. A cute little onsen (natural hot spring bath) town a couple of hours north west of Kyoto.

Everything went smoothly and was perfectly on time – I love the Japanese rail system – and we arrived at Kinosaki around 4 pm for the short walk to our lovely ryokan accommodation – the Mikuniya. Honestly the staff were so helpful and polite – I instantly felt guilty, but I guess that’s my cross to bear. Our room was small but cool – tatami mats, futons, sitting on the floor etc etc. They also supply you with Yukata (a kind of informal kimono) that we were obliged to wear when using the private onsen or moving around the ryokan. It felt weird – but when in Rome…..

We tested out one of the private onsen before walking to a neighbourhood izakaya called Fukutomi. We were the only gaijin there, and the food was soo good we forgave the idiot smoking near us (it’s still a thing in some Japanese public spaces). A post dinner stroll showed us just how lovely this town is – canals and streams and fairy lights and of course the 6 public onsen. This is the off season for onsen so it’s all relatively calm and relaxed. Perfect.

Quick morning run/walk. Imperial Palace grounds Kyoto.

Last coffees from Weekender Coffee… sigh. We’ll miss you.

Omurice with curry sauce at Isetan in Kyoto. Believe me this was way more delicious than it looks.

Arriving at Kinosaki Onsen. The foyer for our lovely accommodation – Mikuniya ryokan.

Way too cute. Otanigawa River. Kinosaki Onsen

Cemetery. Kinosaki Onsen.

More cemetery.

On an evening stroll. More cuteness.

One of the private onsen in the Mikuniya ryokan.

Our sleeping set up – futons on the tatami. We’ve already made a mess of them.

Luxury and guilt.

We woke late and lounged around. I could really get used to this. I realised I hadn’t thought about work at all for at least three days. That’s gotta be a good thing. Other good things are coffee and pastries and we also sampled both of those items.

We followed that up with a little light shopping including a visit to the massive vintage store Big Time Vintage Clothing. We stumbled on a massive Muji store – one of those homeward and clothing stores that Japan does so well. They even had an Uber minimalist cafe with delicious lunch. We ate maximally.

In the afternoon we visited the compact but lovely Kyoto Museum of Modern Art. They had an exhibition on featuring the design and furniture of Shiro Kuramata. A Tokyo legend famous for furniture and interior design, and for his work with fashion big wheel Izzy Mayake. It was an excellent exhibition and I only got into trouble once for trying to take a photo in a no-photo zone. Stupid gaijin. I compounded this by tripping over one of the plinths in the gallery. The attendants nearly had a seizure. Stupid gaijin.

It was getting late so we ducked back to our apartment for a little light refreshment – we had a big decision to make. Do we eat some delicious dinner in a yet to be selected restaurant – or do we smash down some convenience store fast food and rock? Obviously we decided to rock.

The venue was a “live house” called Submarine that our new pal Jin from Spice Chamber had told us about. He invited us to go along and we couldn’t resist. The space was basically a small underground concrete box with a tiny separate bar. Jin seemed to be some sort of local music guru. Everyone knew him and he was very sweet to us – hugging us and introducing us to a bunch of people. I was wearing a t-shirt featuring Melbourne band Pinch Points and amazingly two people came up to me separately to rave about them – and they weren’t faking it – I could tell. Anyway the bands on the lineup that night were great – all on the post punk end of the spectrum. The beer was cold and the drummer from Arcadian Starship is now a good friend! This is my idea of a good time – just a perfect day.

Pain au chocolate from 2/7 Bakery Kyoto. The best.

Just a snippet of the Hawaiian shirt selection at Big Time Vintage Clothing Kyoto.

A sophisticated lunch for sophisticated people at Muji Cafe.

I only travel on escalators that match my shoes. Bal department store Kyoto.

Shiro Kuramata Furniture and Design Exhibition. Museum of Modern Art Kyoto.

Glass chair. Shiro Kuramata Furniture and Design Exhibition. Museum of Modern Art Kyoto

Cheeky arvo beer. Spring Valley Craft Brewery Kyoto.

“Jocko”at Submarine Live House Kyoto. Kinda like a wonky version of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

“ Don’t Be Kids” not following their own advice. Submarine Live House Kyoto.

More from “Don’t Be Kids”. You can’t quite see it in this pic but the bass player on the left wore his bass lower than any other bass player I have ever seen. Lower than his knees – silly and hilarious.

“Calme Addiction” a two piece – drums and guitar – awesome and fricken loud.

“Anisakis” – no smiling. Very serious boys all in black from Tokyo. Note the animal skull tied around the lead singer’s neck.

Some polite advice from Japan Tourism about how to behave if you’re a tourist. The Australian version would probably simply say “Hey tourists! Don’t be dickheads”

Up very early this morning. Kyoto, even in this non-peak super hot season, is flooded with tourists. And not the intrepid culturally sensible kind. And there’s only one way to beat tourists like that – get up very early. And so it was.

Our destination was Fushimi Inari Taisha. A shrine made up of a collection of about 10,000 vermillion coloured gates in the hills of Kyoto. I tried to find out what the Pantone code was for that vermillion but failed. Anyway there are about 30,000 inari shrines across the country but this one is the OG. The gates are laid out over a very steep hillside in a loop covering about 4 kms. It’s quite a challenging hike in the humidity. Unfortunately every tourist in Japan knows how cool this place is so that’s why we were there early. Jostling sucks.

Anyway, the walk was spectacular, dare I call it delightful? I will… it was delightful. Tourist numbers were relatively low and people were behaving more or less respectfully – not always a given.

We were back at our accommodation in time for a late breakfast. After a while kicking back we headed out into the Kyoto rain for a bit of light shopping including a trip to a v cool record store called Jet Set Records. Lots of great Japanese indie stuff. The staff seemed a bit taken aback by my strident enthusiasm for music – happens to me everywhere actually. And while we were record hunting, we also stopped by for a couple of beers (they were craft and delicious) and a casual browse at Hachi Bar and Record Store. We’d visited last time we were in Kyoto in 2019 and it was great to go back and find it still happening.

We wrapped up a great day with dinner at Yakitori Torito a delicious yakitori place just over the river. My fave “chicken shoulder with leek” char grilled to perfection. The menu was mostly in Japanese and the staff were very patient with us gaijin idiots.

Up and out early. V early.

Temple. Fushimi Inari Taisha.

Same temple. Different angle.

Smiling at 6 am. Impressive. Fushimi Inari Taisha.

Reminds me of another dog I know that likes sticks – although obviously this is a fox. Fushimi Inari Taisha.

A rarity. A shot with no pesky tourists in the frame.

A crow at the top of the Fushimi Inari Taisha walk. Actually there were two Crows there.

Dragon?

Omikuji – little prayers or wishes to ward off bad luck left by visitors.

Tour leader. Fushimi Inari Taisha.. Not very sensible shoes for the hike ahead. Not pictured – the 150 tourists trailing along behind her. We made it down just in time to avoid the flood.

Jet Set Records Kyoto. V cool, some might say too cool.

Hachi Bar and Record Store. My two favourite things in one convenient location.

Dinner at Yakitori Torito. Smoky deliciousness and we even at a few green things.

Walking home – wet.

Wet. My recycled brown paper bag carrying my organic groceries got soggy and split, spilling the contents on the floor of the packed No. 5 bus. V embarrassing.

The rain started in the early hours of the morning but I needed to clear my head and an early morning run was just the thing. It’s not like it’s cold, so a rain run up to the Imperial Palace and back was fun.

Luckily for us an exceptional bakery is located right next to our accommodation. 2/7 Bakery is its name and it’s the best. With brekky sorted there were three items on today’s agenda: knives, kimono and the Philosophers Path.

Our lovely friend Laura had talked about an amazing knife shop in the Gion area of Kyoto where they sell beautiful super sharp hand made knives that will hopefully last a lifetime. We visited and were extremely impressed with the quality of their products… and we may possibly never be back here again so…

Afterwards we staggered on doggedly through the heat and humidity to the Philosopher’s Path. The walk took us through lots of the most visited shrines and temples in the Gion area but most of them were overrun with bus loads of mainly Chinese tourists – so we skirted around many of the sights. We’d seen them last time we were here and in any case it really was very hot so we kept our eyes on the prize.

After multiple rehydration breaks we made it to the Philospher’s Path which is is a pedestrian path that follows a cherrytree-lined canal in between Gingkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji. Of course the cherrry trees bloomed a month or so ago but the walk was still quite pretty and mercifully cool.

One last task remained and Jules tackled it with renewed enthusiasm. A tiny jam packed shop in Gion (god help anyone if there’s ever a fire) selling truck tons of lovely very reasonably priced lovely vintage kimonos. Jules found a super cute one and one of the lovely staff helped her put it in and then bound her up tightly with a properly tied “obi” which is the band that goes around the kimono.

We capped the day off with a simple cheap and delicious meal at a little restaurant called Spice Chamber. The place had a great vibe, playing quality music through an old sound system. They serve one dish – chicken keema – which was super spicy and simply one of the best things I’ve eaten on the trip so far. The owner was a super cool dude called Jin. We talked Japanese music and he told us the lead singer from Otoboke Beaver was his friend (they are from Kyoto after all). “She once told me to fuck off” he said grinning proudly. He also told us about a gig on Sunday night, so you never know. Great end to a great day.

Morning run shot. Imperial Palace grounds Kyoto.

Delicious coffee. Delighted customer. Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji.

Sharp and pointy. Shinto knife store Gion Kyoto.

Engraving names on knives. Shinto knife store.

En route to the philosopher’s walk. Feeling hot but not too philosophical.

Hanging with all my friends. The sensible people were all in the shade.

At last, the philosopher’s walk, Gion Kyoto. I resisted the urge to quote Satre.

Vintage kimono shopping, Gion.

Dinner at Spice Chamber, Kyoto. One thing on the menu only – and that was all we needed. This place was ace.

Chicken keema, pickled vegetables and a shochu lemon sour. Like I said – ace.

Look both ways.

Nightcap at a bar by the river called Atlantis. Didn’t mention it above because it was a tourist trap and it sucked. We didn’t even order a strawberry daiquiri.

Creaky limbs and sluggish brains after the previous day’s exertions. Another travel day, leaving Nagoya bound for Kyoto. We’d heard horror stories from other travellers about how overrun with tourists Kyoto was so we approached with trepidation.

But first, as always some weird organic coffee from a stylish and completely empty cafe. Job done. Then down into subway alley one last time (Love Me Do was playing) to jump on the subway before making the jump to hyperspace on the Shinkansen Nozomi to Kyoto.

We were shocked to discover that Kyoto was only 37 minutes from Nagoya so I barely had time to finish my lunchtime beer before we had to drag our bags up and out of another subway. This time we chose to stay at an AirBnB apartment right in the centre of Kyoto. It was really nice but the best thing about it was the space. After a week in tiny hotel rooms it was soooo nice to stretch out across a kitchen, two bedrooms etc.

Later we had another crack at finding some decent local craft beer (there are lots of options in Kyoto) – but I have to say I was disappointed – both our drinks were flat and kinda stale. A perfect match for our moods so after a quick cruise through the incredibly touristy Nishiki market and a little casual shopping, we called it an early night in our massive apartment.

Weird coffee, empty cafe – maybe because the coffee was weird? Nagoya

Lunch on the Shinkansen to Kyoto. Why bother with a bento box when you can smash down a miso pork cutlet sandwich with beer? Nagoya is the home of Kirin so it would be rude not to.

Nishiki market Kyoto. Lots of tourists doing the wrong thing.

Local boy band performs for their adoring fans on the main shopping strip Kyoto.

So much extra room for activities. Our AirBnB in Kyoto.

The view from above. Out the window of our AirBnB Kyoto.

The day dawned clear and hot. We were up early and into the subway (I Want to Hold Your Hand was playing) with just enough time to grab a cheeky pain au chocolate before boarding the train to Megome a couple of hours north east of Nagoya. There was however a crisis. There had been no time to find coffee of any kind and I felt crabbiness descending.

Megome marks the start (for us anyway) of a section of the ancient walking trail between Kyoto and Tokyo used by the samurai (and to deliver the mail I guess) during the Edo era. History is not really my strong suit – but I like to walk. In this case we planned to walk about 12 kms from Megome to Nagiso where we could jump on a train back to Nagoya.

Luckily Magome is home to Hillbilly Coffee – proper hardcore espresso in the middle of the countryside. Sigh…who knew. But thank you Hillbilly Coffee! Caffeine dependency sorted we strode onwards and upwards into the blazing heat.

The walk was a treat despite the heat. Much of it was through lush green and brown cedar forests and every 500 metres or so there were little bells on the side of the path which you are supposed to ring to scare away any wild bears. We didn’t spot any – in fact I’m not sure that they are very common- but we have the bell a few discreet tinkles anyway. Pretty much the whole walk follows a stream so we were accompanied by the sounds of water splashing over granite stones…. just charming.

Charming or not we were very happy to reach Nagiso. It was hella hot still – so a cool drink from a vending machine and an airconditioned train back to Nagoya were bliss.

The train to Megome. Not exactly packed.

Hiking up and out of Nagome in the blazing heat. Jules made good use of her sun/rain umbrella.

Just leaving Magome on the Nakasendo Trail. Beware there may be bears – allegedly.

Verdant.

Verdanter

Verdantest

Cedar forest.

Hiding from the heat.

Inevitably, a rice field.

Once back in Nagoya (You Can’t Do That was playing in the subway alley this time) there was time to rest and drink cold Japanese beer back at the hotel. All we could manage after all that samurai striding in the heat was some delicious tempura from a standing bar about 200 metres from the hotel, along with more cold beer of course.

Today was a travel day. We were leaving Tokyo 😦 and right on cue the rain came down in bucketloads. We purchased a “sun and rain” umbrella – which turned out to be an excellent strategic decision – and managed to only get moderately soaked as we made our way to Shinjuku station and on to Tokyo station to board the Shinkansen Nozomi (that’s the super super fast one) to Nagoya. The key phrases we have learned when you’re dragging luggage through packed train stations are go mena sai (sorry) and sumi ma sen (excuse me). We’ve got them on speed dial.

But first bento boxes had to be purchased. There were so many to choose from we were immobilised. But the train was waiting so we grabbed a couple and boarded.

Just a few of the elaborately packaged bento boxes (or Ekiben if you consume them on a train) on sale at Tokyo station.

My chosen ekiben. So pretty, so neat.

Look what’s inside!

The world went past in a blur of green and grey for the next two hours and suddenly we were in Nagoya. The plan was to base ourselves there while we went out for a day walk on the “ancient samurai walking trail” known as the Nakasendo.

To get to our hotel, the Dormy Inn we had to transfer to the subway which was even more packed than Tokyo. We missed one train because we simply couldn’t board. Eventually we made it to the right station and the walk to the hotel took us down this cool narrow underground passage lined on one side with bars and restaurants. The soundtrack playing all the way along was Let It Be by the Beatles. We soon discovered that they only ever played Beatles tracks – their entire catalogue on an endless loop. Which was just fine with me.

We checked in to our little 18 metres squared shoebox, snuck out for some local craft beer, some strange unidentifiable sushi and an early night. Tomorrow we follow in the footsteps of the samurai.

Sneaky Nagoya subway shot by Jules. I could barely breathe.

Nagoya subway. Bars beers and Beatles.

A Nagoya beatle

Weird craft beer. Brick Lane brewery Nagoya.

Nagoya by night. No one was on the streets – turns out they were all in the subway. Note the funky streetlights that were everywhere.

Nagoya city sunset.

We woke late-ish. OK maybe we were hungover. We’re on holidays so give us a break already.

More experiences were looming. To be honest, by this stage I was ready for a sensory deprivation chamber but that’s not what Tokyo does. So it was coffee, pastry and onto the subway once more. We were off to Team Lab – Planets. The latest digital visual and sensory experience from Team Lab. They’re a little bit art, but in truth they’re much more like a trip to the IMAX cinema without the popcorn but with extra touchy feely stuff – and of course truckloads of tourists. These things are massively popular – fun but also a bit tacky. This one focused on water, flowers, moss and other organic stuff and it involved lots of wading through knee deep water. It was… well look at the pics. You’ll get the idea.

Knee deep in psychedelic carp at Team Lab Planets.

Where’s Wally 1 and 2?

There they are.

Space 1999. Team Lab Planets Tokyo.

Too much tack masquerading as art leaves a bad taste in your mouth so we needed a palate cleanser. We’d heard about the Rose Bakery over in swanky Ginza. We’d also never been to that part of Tokyo before, so off we went.

Ginza was exactly as expected. Grand wide streets, the usual high end boutiques and labels (Louis Vuitton, Tiffany’s, Rolex etc etc), but the extra space and the incredible food halls – think David Jones Foodhall on steroids made for a nice change.

And Rose Bakery – located in the middle of the Dover Street Market – was a treat. Even if the so called Market was just six floors of super high end fashion labels jammed in together. Still the mushrooms on toast with a poached egg was just so.

Queueing up to get my Louis Vuitton bag. Ginza.

The OG Uniqlo store in Ginza. 12 floors of muted tones and mostly organic fibres.

Heading back to our accommodation in Shinjuku. Coming up out of the subway at rush hour.

For dinner that night we went to a super cool pizza place we’d read about called Savoy Tomato and Cheese. 10 seats, wood fired pizza, simple ingredients, cold beer, friendly staff, bliss. The standout was the tuna pizza – basically a coiled slice of tuna in the centre of a garlic pizza base. In the super hot wood fired oven for 4 minutes, a smear of wasabi (yes wasabi) and Bob’s your uncle. So delicious. The wasabi didn’t even really bite – the chef says when you mix wasabi with olive oil it maintains the spice without the zing. More please.