After the first couple of weeks on the road, we continued our road trip across Japan for another 3 weeks in November, all the time making our way South towards more warmth. After that, we also stopped to help at an oyster farm for a week. We saw and experienced so much that our heads are spinning!.. But not only we didn’t get tired of it, we love Japan even more after all this time.
We explored the big peninsula South of Kyoto, and found some stunning scenery there, before heading to Kyoto itself. It is the historic and cultural capital, with hundreds of ancient temples, all different from one another, but even after 3 days of full-time visiting we feel like we only scratched the surface. We will have to come back one day!
Shirarahama – Australian beach in Japan… but a bit chilly!
Cesar’s find – a wooden octopus bait
Australian beach, Japanese touch with pine trees
Buddha pyramid at the Koya-san mountain monastery and cemetary
Koya-san: Pilgrims wash the Buddha sculptures
Koya-san Mysterious mossy cemetary
Nara: the shinto temple and wandering deers
Deers bullying people to get the cookies. They nibble the arm and then scared people drop the cookie ;D
Cesar in turn bullies the deers
Nara temple lanterns
Busy and touristy traditional neighborhood in Kyoto
Beautiful Kyoto day and shinto temple
1000 origami cranes: folding them grants a wish from the gods. It became a national craze after a little girl exposed to radiation in Hiroshima died of cancer before finishing the 1000 cranes. It is now displayed on all peace monuments and temples.
The famous Fushimi Inari temples with thousands of donated gates forming a tunnel across the mountain
Having fun with the gates
The Inari god’s messengers are foxes, so there are cute figurines of foxes everywhere
Kyoto: ancient camphor tree and the entrance of one of the temples
Temple with crazy trees that grow like arms
Zen garden and typical sculpted pine trees
The famous Kyoto bamboo grove
Lots of tourists are visiting it wearing the traditional kimono, either for fun, or because some of them often wear it for special occasions
Posing with the kimono matching autumn foliage
Traditional neighborhood in Kyoto
Waiting to welcome clients at a traditional restaurant
In Gion, the Kyoto geisha neighborhood, many beautiful lanterns illuminate the streets in the evening
Traditional Japanese garden – very sculpted, but no flowers
After Kyoto, we continued our way South, towards Hiroshima and then to the Southernmost island of Kyushu. Kyushu is known as the Island of Fire, because even by Japan standards it has a lot of volcanic activity going on… 4 of the top 5 most active volcanoes are situated on here, and there is hot sources leaking literally everywhere. Also, it has a tropical atmosphere with ~20 degrees even in November… Just what we were looking for!
Stop on the Naoshima island. Until 20 years ago this was a depopulating forgotten island, until an art foundation decided to install several galleries and outdoors artworks. And now it’s a high-end tourist destination! Crazy story…
Inside the artwork
The famous Kusama pumpkin
Chair froom the same guy who made the Beaubourg fountain in Paris.. just slightly better maintained here!
Himeji castle, the most famous castle in Japan (and one of the few wooden survivors)
Hiroshima peace momorial – the only building that was left standing near the epicentre of the atomic explosion
Near Hiroshima, the famous “Floating Torii” gate
Like almost everywhere, hundreds of school student groups visiting the place… go study math you people!!!
The deers are also roaming around here
The temple is just above water during high tide
Onwards to Nagasaki – the peace monument to remind what fell from the sky here…
Before the atomic bomb, Nagasaki was a very international city, where all the European traders came by ship – this is a Dutch cathedral
Nagasaki is also close to China and is one of the only Japanese cities that has a large Chinatown
Village in Kyushu: “Welcome to our village! We squids are soooo cute” 😀
But then turns out the squids end up dried like socks…
Or eaten as tempura fry (delicious!!!!)
Or as sashimi… still moving :0
The boats use huge lamps to attract the squids
Looks like this could be England…
A gorgeous spot on the coast
A scenic spot for a shinto temple
Aoshima island – Crazy natural formations
Tropical atmosphere in Aoshima…
More beautiful autumn foliage of the Fugen volcano
The volcano is very active so after a several hour hike, this is as close as we could get…
Smoky…
In Unzen, walking in the “hells” (yes they are called that!), the steam and fumes emanating from the volcano
Cooking eggs in the valcano fumes
The Sakura-Jima volcano, which until 1992 was an island but then leaked some lave and became a peninsula… oh well, stuff happens, right?!
And this is what happens to the torii gates when the volcano leaks… all students in this peninsula wear helmets to go to school, because the volcano continually spits rocks
Pollution? Nope, just hot steam… Beppu is the 2nd largest hot source spot by volume (1st is Yellowstone)
Random steam vent
Public kitchen in the street – just bring your eggs and steam them!
On our way back North, we stopped to help at an oyster farm. Atsushi grows oysters and also cockles, and with his parents has a nice traditional Japanese guesthouse. We got nice insights into cooking, oysters, bamboos and so much more! Thanks for this great experience 🙂
The beautiful Kumihama Bay, near the sea of Japan, North of Kyoto
The fishermen in uniform ;D
The oyster platform from which the oysters are suspended
These cockles grow inside little boxes, to become much bigger and then are sold for very expensive for each unit
Fixing up the cockle platform
With Atsushi, his cute daughter and other two helpers Sasha and Laura, celebrating a happy day 😀
We went to the woods to cut 50 bamboos for future platform repairs
Such a strong guy! (those bamboos are sooo heavy when wet!)
Tired but happy bamboo lumberjack 😛 (photo credit – Sasha)
Warming up at the kotatsu – amazing Japanese invention, a mix of table and warming electric blanket
Learning cooking secrets from the grandma… this is how you grate the white radish daikon on which sushi is then laid out
We helped prepare the refined seafood dishes for the guesthouse guests… and then had some ourselves 😛
A breakfast that will keep you strong
Seafood sukiyaki, a hot deliciousness to warm up on a cold November night
And final special mention to the grilled mochi – rice paste that was the staple of our van trip, easy to grill on the portable cooker, gooey deliciousness with soy sauce and butter
And finally, it seems like everyone liked the little videos with explanations, so here’s a little patchwork with what material I had. Enjoy and let us know your thoughts!