Come to Hokkaido and in the eyes of the Japanese it’s a bit like exploring the Wild West – some remote, forbidden frontier where most people just don’t go. Head to the very northern tip of Hokkaido and you are really living life on the edge – quite literally. Wakkanai is that kind of place – a long, often rather desolate, but then at times scenic excursion more or less directly north of Sapporo.
Beautiful sunset over the Sea of Japan, Ishikari, on the road to Wakkanai.But, so many things to worry about here !! They warn you about everything.Houses are completely different here in Hokkaido. They don’t look like this elsewhere in Japan.
We drove this ( almost entirely ) coastal route over a couple of days stopping along the way to take in any local attractions- most notably a wonderful little ( and very old ) sake distillery in the town of Mashike. Been around for well over a hundred years and was full of history. Lots of learning on sake – we knew it was a kind of rice-wine but did not know that it is distilled from only a very distinct kind of rice ( not the same as the stuff we eat ). Sadly, Japan’s “absolute zero %” blood alcohol rules meant I could not taste any ( Lois stepped in and did the honors ), having to accept instead a cup of their delicious sake- flavoured ice cream. Who’d have thought that would taste good ?
Historical Sake Museum in Mashike.Tasting Sake.The closest the driver gets to sake – sake flavoured ice cream !Typical coastal scenery on the drive north.The latitude crossings get some attention in these parts.
Approaching Wakkanai, we noticed something we had not seen anywhere else in Hokkaido – Russian language signs. Street names, town names, distance signs, they were everywhere. We know that in this corner of Japan anyway Russia is just a stone’s throw away but it’s not like there’s a lot of travel/commerce (nor probably much friendship ! ) between the two countries in this area. We could only think this was a historical vestige of the time ( 1905-1945 ) when Japan possessed the southern half of Sakhalin island ( at its nearest point, just 25kms away. Japan took it from Russia ( spoils of war from their successful 1904-1905 conflict with Russia ) and then the Russians ( somewhat understandably ) took it back at the end of WW2. There’s a fascinating museum in Wakkanai that details Japan’s experience in Sakhalin, well worthwhile for any avid history buffs. While nearby Sakhalin is no longer disputed, there are 4 islands in North Eastern Hokkaido that are disputed – but more on that next week.
Surprised to see the cyrillic alphabet on signs here – Russian influence ?Images from the Sakhalin museum in Wakkanai. The Japanese controlled the southern half for many years – it was known as Karafuto prefecture between 1905-1945.Images of Sakhalin during the Japanese years.An old obelisk marking the then boundary between Russia and Japan at the 50th parallel on Sakhalin.
Wakkanai ( and the area near it ) really seemed much like northern Canada – the buildings, the remoteness, stronger indigenous influence (Ainu, in Japan), the climate ( often windy, misty) and just the overall feel of the place. It was interesting to see and feel just how extraordinarily different it is from the rest of Japan. Most folks think of Wakkanai as the northern limit of Hokkaido but that honor belongs to nearby Cape Soya, just to the east. Not a lot of note there – REALLY windy, colder and a few markers and obelisks to let you know you are at Japan’s northern tip – unlike Wasilla, Alaska ( home to Sarah Palin ), from Cape Soya, Russia really IS visible on a clear day 😂.
Cape Soya, as far north as you can go in Japan. Russia just beyond.As always at such places, the generic signpost to practically everywhere !!An interesting marker at Cape Soya – a memorial to sailors lost in WW2 on both sides in waters around Cape Soya.
Southeast of Wakkanai and towards the centre of Hokkaido lies one of Hokkaido’s famous national parks- Daisetsuzan. Here our continued run of less than stellar weather limited some opportunities but we were able to traverse Sounkyo Gorge getting an excellent view of Ryusei and Ginga Falls and at least a short hike in before rain cut further plans short.
Not sure why but we got somewhat excited to see our first deer in the wild. We would soon see many more !As we headed east from Wakkanai we encountered many small, local ski hills. Had no idea there were so many in Hokkaido. And constant warnings to avoid brown bears.Approaching Daisetsuzan National Park.Lake Taisetsu, Daisetsuzan NP.Ryusei Falls, Daisetsuzan NP.Both falls. So many steps on the hike to the viewpoint…!And yet more brown bear warnings.
Back to the coast, on to Abashiri and then another detour inland over the scenic Bihoro Pass took us to one of the prettiest parts of Hokkaido so far – Lakes Kussharo and Mashu, in Akan National Park. The scenic roads, high passes, quaint towns, foot spas and natural outdoor onsens in this area kept us busy for the rest of the week. We’d been told about this part of Hokkaido and it did not disappoint!
Hokkaido, in some parts, looks like one big farm ! Lots of wide open farmland here that you just don’t see elsewhere in Japan.View of Lake Kussharo, from Bihoro Pass.Males on the left, females on the right- a large rock in the middle for “privacy”.Delightful Kotan outdoor onsen, beside Lake Kussharo. We enjoyed it so much we visited twice.A beautiful evening camped with a few others at Sunaya Beach, Lake Kussharo. Hot springs came out of the beach here.Lush scenery on the road to Lake Mashu.Lake Mashu is a volcanic lake famed for its vibrant blue colour – on this day the sun was being shy so, while pretty, we did not get the full effect 😔.Came across quite a few of these – “foot spas”, this one near Lake Mashu. Incredibly relaxing !
A video look at our recent travels in 90 seconds…..
Random Musings on Japan:
Into month 3 of our stay in this wonderful country and thought I’d add a few general musings – the good ( almost everything ), the bad ( just a couple on that list ) and the ugly ( actually, nothing THAT bad so far ! ).
It’s easy to talk about the travel stuff, it’s always fun, so it’s here this week as usual but beyond that here are just some quirky visitor observations to share. I talk often about the good stuff, so a few lines about the minor annoyances first.
So, What’s Challenging About Japan?
Getting rid of garbage ! There are no garbage cans ANYWHERE here. It’s surprising there isn’t litter everywhere ( well, there is some ) since it’s so hard to get rid of stuff- without exception, every day as soon as we wake up, we start thinking about where we will be able to dump the garbage that accumulated the day before. We have never had to do this before. Anywhere. Ever ! We just met some Dutch people travelling in a rental motorhome, and we have also met some Singaporeans, and before that some Taiwanese all in rented vans and they all ask us the same question – where do you get rid of your garbage? It’s actually hilarious because we all burst out laughing at how ridiculously difficult it is here. For an incredibly advanced country it is beyond belief that there is no formal “public” garbage collection system ( they do collect from businesses and residences – you just generally don’t see regular garbage cans on the street as you do in every other country). It’s actually hard to believe until you come here and experience just how difficult this is.
Dealing with officialdom/bureaucracy is another challenge – they can be incredibly strict and inflexible here. The failed visa extension request was but one example. Our issue last week in getting on a ferry involved a ferry worker telling me we were mere centimetres over a pricing threshold and would need to pay extra. We were not, and this had NEVER been an issue on any other ferry or RoRo vessel ( and we’ve been on many!), but no amount of moral/logic/previous ferry history/reasonability arguing was going to sway this guy – they can just wear you down. Needless, pointless, but that is officialdom here. You cannot fight it. I should have known better – it was not my first time 😔.
So that’s about it for daily travel gripes here – pretty minor, really, in the scheme of things.
What’s Amazing About Japan?
Here I could fill a book.
1. Camping – is so easy. Almost without exception you can find a safe, flat, clean spot to camp for the night with clean toilets, and water available. Invariably at a MichiNoEki (roadside station ), but at times elsewhere as well. Removes a key stress element from travelling. There are few countries in the world where it is this easy.
2. People – incredibly welcoming, curious, friendly and generous ( more so than almost anywhere else ). People can’t do enough to help you and the government has rolled out so many things to make travel easy for foreigners – here, no complaints at all ! First class all the way.
3. Value – the Japanese have slayed inflation and prices have largely not changed in years ( decades in some cases – we know, we lived here 35 years ago ). Why can’t we manage that in Canada ? Next to no inflation here. No housing crisis here. Seems to be no ( material ) homelessness issue either. They are certainly doing a lot right. Japan is now excellent value where it was once always expensive. Food (always delicious), alcohol, restaurants, fuel, sights, all very reasonable. Expensive no more. As a result, tourism is exploding here – easy to see why.
4. The Sights – beauty lies everywhere here and seldom do we look when driving that something pretty can’t be seen. Nice.
5. OK, I could add many more things but I simply can’t ignore the public toilets ( since, as travellers, we use them often ). It’s unbelievable how the Japanese manage to consistently deliver the most perfectly clean ( and I mean, pristine ! ) public toilets everywhere you go. They are everywhere, they are well stocked, they are often heated, always with soap, always with electric hand dryers and ALWAYS spotless. They play music for you, the seats are heated, and you have a bidet option. Never, ever, any graffiti. They are incredible. You just don’t see that attention to detail in most other places, yet it seems to be a matter of civic pride here. If you happen to go early in the morning you can rest assured that the two toilet rolls ( always two rolls ) will be full and ( quite often ) the first sheets will have folded corners just like in a fancy hotel – I kid you not ! Yes, in a public toilet…
It was a long drive to get up here, and we dealt with a most frustratingly ridiculous issue getting our van on the ferry ( more on that later ), but once the door was lowered and we drove off the ramp into the streets of Hakodate, calm was restored and thoughts of where we might go and what we might do next came to the fore. Hokkaido, in Japanese terms anyway, is big and travel options are many !
Route so far in Hokkaido.
Most ferries to the island arrive in Hakodate and if that generally obscure city name rings a bell it’s with good reason – it captured global headlines and inflamed Cold War tensions way back in 1976 due to the defection of a certain Soviet Air Force pilot named Viktor Belenko. Viktor, you see, chose not just to defect, but brought his (then) state of the art MiG 25 with him ! Disillusioned with Soviet military life, he took off from Vladivostok on what was meant to be a routine training flight, then took his MiG 25 down to sea level and sped east to Hokkaido, eventually finding Hakodate airport, with just 30 seconds of fuel to spare. If an old Cold War story tickles your interest, read more about it here but it’s safe to say this pretty, small port city has not seen more excitement since !
We enjoyed a couple of days here and in the surrounding area. It’s an easy city to like- compact, with all the attractions close together, and a mountain backdrop that gives stunning views over the whole city and it’s impressive harbour. The sunny weather helped, weather which, over the coming weeks would sadly be rather scarce.
Waterfront district, HakodateSelfie, Hakodate.Scenic view of Hakodate.
Travelling initially east, then north along the coastal route took us through Mt. Esan, Mori and Oshamambe before turning away from the coast and heading up past Lake Toya to Hokkaido’s ski areas of Niseko ( hugely popular with Aussie skiers ) and Rusutsu. They, like Hakuba, surprised us by the fact that there was till some snow around.
Cape Esan, outdoor seaside onsen. Japanese surfers, near Mt. Esan.Jomon era archeological site, near Mori.Jomon ruins. They even provided an English speaking guide.At some locations you can cook from the thermally heated stoves!Scenic road near Niseko.Bumped into a nice Japanese couple in Niseko who had just bought this camper. They were curious about ours so we did the obligatory reciprocal inspections !Ditto.
Between the ski hills and Sapporo lay one of Japan’s most well-known onsen towns, Noboribetsu. Not only are the hot pools large, there are lots of them with a range of therapeutic qualities, all fed from the thermal activity underground. Noboribetsu was wonderful, and the pools amazing – just one of those places where it all came together; nice weather, great walks, fantastic hot pools, great food and a wonderful place to park up right in town arranged by a friendly parking guy sympathetic to the challenges of finding same in places like Noboribetsu. To top it off we were fortunate to be there on the night of a very colorful local festival- icing on the cake!
Thermal area, Noboribetsu.Ditto.A wonderful night of music and dance, NoboribetsuStunning Lake Kuttara, Noboribetsu.
The drive on to Sapporo took us through some of the area’s prettiest lakes, made more enjoyable by another of our rare sunny days – sadly, not to last. Sapporo itself surprised us – much bigger than we thought but easy to navigate since it ( along with a few other Hokkaido cities ) is on a conventional “grid” layout not commonly seen elsewhere in Japan. Among other sights, a real highlight in Sapporo was the chance to tour the Sapporo Brewery and learn about the history of beer in Japan – actually quite fascinating !
Historic Clocktower, Sapporo.Downtown Sapporo.Downtown Sapporo.Hokkaido Jingu ( Shrine ), Sapporo.Kimono clad Japanese ladies, Sapporo.Sapporo Beer factory.Sapporo Beer Museum 😊.
From Sapporo the next stage of our Hokkaido adventure takes us to Japan’s northern extremity, Wakkanai.
The added bonus of making our way up to Kanazawa, while otherwise quite out of the way, was the fact that we were now at the base of the Noto peninsula, a region of Japan especially popular for its scenery, historic thatched-roof housing, and some of the country’s best lacquerware production ( among other traditional crafts). The plan from here was to explore Noto, leave the west coast to divert inland through the Japan Alps, and then make a beeline up the northwest coast of Honshu for the ferry crossing to Hokkaido. Most of this worked out well, some – not quite so well ! Read on….
Our route north.
Not far up the western side of Noto ( shown as “A” on the map above ) we started to notice some strange things on the landscape. The roads were quite severely buckled in places, and the further north we went the more buckled they became. In other places, the electrical poles were not standing vertical and then in many areas there was damage to the roofs of houses which had been temporarily repaired with blue tarpaulins. Suddenly, not the kind of precisely manicured homes and landscapes we had become accustomed to in Japan. Then, it dawned on us, there must have been an earthquake in this area. In fact, a quick Google search revealed there was a very severe earthquake back on January 1st, killing almost 300 people- we had, quite by chance, just stumbled onto this, and there was still a significant amount of un-repaired damage. Once we realized it, we felt quite guilty that we were even in the area. After a brief visit to the city of Wajima, and learning that roads further north were in any event cut, we simply headed back down the peninsula and made our way towards the Japan Alps, where we were looking forward to exploring Nagano, Hakuba, and the castle city of Matsumoto.
Coastal scenery, Noto Peninsula.Earthquake damage, Noto Peninsula.Some houses were affected, some not. One on the left of the picture was flattened while houses nearby were untouched.Others completely flattened.Terraced rice fields near Wajima.
While it’s not ski season here, the Japan Alps is a beautiful region any time of year, and we did want to scope out the area with a view to one day returning for a ski trip. Hakuba was definitely the pick for us – compared to Nagano, just a little smaller, a much more local feel, and we just happened to have better visibility of the high peaks while we were there. A very slight detour between the two cities leads one to the famous castle town of Matsumoto, a worthwhile detour since this castle is black in contrast to most of the Japanese castles, which are white. While in the region, we took the opportunity to challenge the Shibu – Toge Pass, which at 2127m is the highest in the Japan Alps ( in fact, the highest point you can drive in the whole country ). We had heard the views were worth the merciless grind to the top – indeed, it was a bit of a grind getting the big van up there but once up the views made it all worthwhile . Caught up with a bunch of Japanese motorcyclists who had just done the trip on their exotic European bikes – they were soaking in the view when we arrived. It would definitely have been more fun ( and much easier ! ) to do it on a big Moto Guzzi, or Ducati, than a Sprinter van !
Shibu- Toge Pass, near Nagano at 2,172m. A hard climb and cold up there !The Shibu-Toge Pass ( highest pass in the Japan Alps ) is a favourite for motorcyclists. Here admiring a couple of exotic European bikes and nice Kawasaki. Getting to the top was much easier for them !View to the Japan Alps from our camp spot in Hakuba, one of our best.We were surprised to see this much snow in June.Ditto.Matsumoto-jo, the black castle.European style alpine village, Shiga Kogen, Japan Alps. Passed by on the way to Shibu-Toge Pass.
Once through the alps, and after a few short hikes, it was pretty much just a few days of solid driving, mostly along the coast, up through the city of Niigata and Akita ( from where the eponymous dog breed originated ), before reaching Aomori at the very top of Honshu. The shortest ferry to Hokkaido actually left from Oma, further north again, so we made the trek up there. It had been very windy and we figured the shorter the sea crossing the more comfortable it might be. Interesting to observe a very, very distinct change in housing style and urban landscapes as we reached northern Honshu ( a trend that would be even more evident once we got to Hokkaido ); streets became wider, sidewalks began to appear where previously there were none, farms grew larger, and the houses began to look far less traditionally Japanese; in fact, we both commented that, were we not actually in Japan, one could be excused for thinking you were now in another country ( yes, it changed that much ).
Coastal scene, near Oma.
We’d heard great things about Hokkaido and the changing landscape in Northern Honshu only intrigued us as to what more was to come once we got off the ferry in Hakodate. More on our arrival in Hokkaido in the following blog.
Till next week….
PS: Oh, and a short video clip of the week. Enjoy…!
First port of call as we arrived back on the main island of Honshu was the city of Hiroshima. Known the world over for that fateful day on August 6, 1945 when the first atomic bomb was dropped, it has since grown into a thriving and vibrant city ( if you have a Mazda car, they are made here ).
A Bomb Dome, Hiroshima.Street life in Hiroshima prior to August 6, 1945.The day after….Peace Park, Hiroshima.
Despite the attractions of nearby Miyajima and other area sites it’s the very well done Peace Museum that brings visitors in droves – it was absolutely packed the day we were there but it’s extremely well organized and they can handle the crowds easily. We noticed it’s been updated and expanded over the years and there are a few displays we noticed this time that we’ve never seen before. It really is an eye-opening experience to visit this site. We always leave with a little prayer, in the hope that the world never sees another city hit with an atomic bomb.
Nearby Miyajima Island is known for the beautiful orange/red Tori gate that sits just offshore and is possibly the most photographed subject in Japan – well, right up there with Kinkaku-ji anyway ! The island is very pretty with quaint stores and has a very interesting history.
Tori gate, Miyajima.Ditto.Shrine, Miyajima.A particularly nice camping spot, in the trees, right by the marina, near Miyajima.
From Hiroshima, our travels took us back in an easterly direction along the very congested, southern shore of Western Honshu, basically following Route 2 all the way to Japan’s most famous, and indisputably most beautiful, castle in the city of Himeji. It’s the kind of castle that just captivates you at first glance and is immaculately well-maintained throughout. Predictably it was a very busy day there, and once again, we were astounded by the number of ( obviously ) foreign tourists we saw – literally as many foreigners as there were Japanese. Added to the appeal of Himeji was the fact that it was an absolutely perfect day to enjoy it and photograph it.
Kurashiki, a small city just east of Himeji, is renowned for its well kept village area, so we made time to explore it – embarrassing to say it’s less than an hour from Kobe and we’d never visited during our time living here. Well worth a stop…!
Kurashiki’s fame and wealth was built by cotton merchants whose large homes are nicely restored.Delightful willow-lined canals of Kurashiki.Lois, backstreets of Kurashiki.En route to Kurashiki we connected with Min, a young Korean traveller who was motorcycling around Japan – we had first met on the Korea to Japan ferry.
Fortunately, since our last ( flying ) visit we’d sorted out some longer term parking in Kobe ( so we could stay a while this time ! ). In so doing, we sort of “killed two birds with one stone”, as it were. During the last blog, I mentioned that our inquiries about a Japanese visa extension got us nowhere while we were in Shikoku, so it was time to look at a “plan B”. A short return trip outside the country would restart our 90 day visa. While we feel three months will be an adequate amount of time to explore all that we want to see in Japan, we cannot count on a ship being available for our vehicle exactly when our travels finish. That could take some weeks, so we definitely needed a little more time in the country. Parked up at Kobe airport ( which allowed us time to revisit the city), it was an easy and quick 90 minute flight to Seoul – and very nice to have a wonderful night there in a nice hotel. Back in Japan the next day.
Kobe’s trendy Kitanocho district.One of the historic foreign residences at Kobe’s Ijinkan. As one of Japan’s earliest cities to open to foreign trade in the mid 1800’s, Kobe has a foreign ambience that attracts many Japanese tourists.Downtown Kobe.Seoul’s enormous and modern airport. Everything super fast and easy here.
On the road again, our final destination for this week was Kanazawa. Located on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu, and right at the base of the Noto Peninsula, Kanazawa is home to what is widely considered Japan’s most beautiful Japanese garden – KenRokuen. Indeed, the garden is spectacular and we’d have to agree with the Lonely Planet author’s assessment, placing it just above Ritsurin Park in Shikoku. Splitting hairs, though, I suppose – both are pretty awesome !
The historic fishing village of Obama, just south of Kanazawa.Exploring Kanazawa’s backstreets ( old town ) and stumbled across this most awkwardly named cafe.Ok, we give up. In Japan our van is just always going to be classified as a “bus” ( certainly, based on size at least ) 😔. One benefit is you sometimes get preferred parking ( undercover, no less ! ) right near the attraction ( here in Kanazawa ).Kenrokuen, Kanazawa.Ditto.Ditto.
Hopefully the route that ultimately leads us to Hokkaido will provide an opportunity for us to revisit Kobe given our short time there this go around, but for now the smallest of Japan’s four main islands lays ahead – Shikoku. Probably the most overlooked ( and hence least travelled ) of Japan’s big four islands, Shikoku certainly lacks the more recognizable attractions of the other three. It’s predominantly rural (making it a bit easier to navigate), but still boasts one of Japan’s top three gardens, a highly regarded castle, and some of the wildest coastline in the country – we decided it was worth the detour.
Route through Shikoku.
Leaving Kobe to the west one does not drive very far until the amazing new Akashi bridge comes into view – it connects the Honshu mainland to the island of Awaji, which in turn forms a land bridge between Honshu and the island of Shikoku. The bridge itself is a world-renowned feat of engineering and is truly stunning just to look at. It was a particularly windy day as we crossed, and the combination of being so high up, the gusting winds, and the high profile of our van design made for a bit of a wobbly crossing. At the south end of Awaji island, where tidal waters rush in and out of the Inland Sea, one can observe the whirlpools of Naruto. These become very intense at high and low tide and attract many tourists. Unfortunately they were not at their most intense as we passed by , although we did venture up to the lookout just to take in what is a pretty impressive view of the surrounding landscape and the immense bridge itself. Memorably, we spent one night camping on the island of Awaji at a beautiful beach-side spot along with a dozen other local campers, and experienced one of the best sunsets we’ve seen so far in Japan – a little bonus we had not expected.
Bridge over the Straits of Naruto, unfortunately we did not cross near high/low tide so the whirlpools were not strong.Perhaps this is why our van is considered so large in Japan. A “small” camper here is really small -this one seen near NarutoSunset, Gungeko seaside park, Awaji Island.
A couple of other smaller bridges connect Naruto to mainland Shikoku. One normally arrives in the Takamatsu area next but we detoured southwest to Awa to the “Earth Pillars”an attraction supposedly similar to the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon in the US. Well, if there was a resemblance, it was only passing- they are simply not on the same scale. Fortunately, it was not a significant detour that we made.
Awa earth pillars. These were somewhat over-rated we felt. We were more impressed by the nearby Bando POW camp that we stumbled upon while driving to Awa.
En route to the earth pillars, and quite by chance, we stumbled upon an unusual (and I suspect little known) historical WW1 memorial. History buffs will know that Japan actually fought on the side of the allies in World War1, so when 3,900 German soldiers ( who were protecting German settlements in China ) were taken prisoner during the Siege of Tsingtao in 1914, it was left to the Japanese to find a place to house them somewhere in Japan. The Bando Prisoner of War camp, near Takamatsu, was the largest of such camps, holding over 1,000 soldiers. It’s a little known quirk of World War I history that I didn’t know about and found it fascinating to walk around the ruins of the camp and talk to a couple of local Japanese who appear to be maintaining it. Click on the link here for more details on this rather interesting story. Two things stood out for me; firstly, how well they were treated ( in stark contrast to prisoners in the next war ) and secondly, the fact that over 170 of them chose to settle permanently in Japan after WW1 where their descendants live to this day.
Arguably Shikoku’s primary attraction, stunning Ritsurin Koen( Park ) more than compensated for the disappointment of the earth pillars. We’d both seen it before, long ago, but enjoyed it just as much this time and it is still as beautiful as ever. Of all the tourists we saw in the week we spent on Shikoku, 90% of them were probably at this location – it’s that well known here.
A pilgrim we met travelling ( on foot ) to Shikoku’s 88 revered Buddhist temples. One sees many of them walking by the road all over Shikoku, dressed in a white coat, familiar conical hat and a walking stick. Over 150,000 people a year are thought to do the 1200 km circuit that rings the island. It’s known as the Shikoku Henro.Shikoku Henro Route.Ritsurin Koen, Takamatsu.Ditto.While parked at a Michi no Eki in Takamatsu a fellow traveller, camping nearby for the night, approached us, introduced himself, and INSISTED we accept this giant bottle of sake as a gift. He just liked our van and was impressed that we had shipped it to Japan. We’d never met before and likely never will again – this has now happened three times. Moderately embarrassing but very typical of spontaneous Japanese hospitality and generosity.Vine Bridge, Central Shikoku.Selfie, Vine Bridge.Vine Bridge.
South west of Takamatsu Route 32 takes travelers through the Yoshino River valley, a particularly scenic stretch of road with white water rapids tumbling through the bottom of the valley, 50 or 60m below the narrow road which clings to the mountain side in most places. Didn’t challenge the rapids, but we did detour east to the historic Vine Bridge that is a pitstop on most travellers’ journey through the centre of Shikoku. Another narrow, hilly, and very windy detour, but well worth it to see the area and walk on the bridge.
A calm section of the river along Route 32. It was a most intense green.
Over the next few days, we travelled south to Kochi, and then on down to Cape Ashizuri, famed for some of Shikoku’s best coastal scenery. Alas, photography moments were fleeting here as rain and drizzle interrupted quite a bit of this part of our journey. The good bits were great, but no matter where you are when it’s raining it’s hard to get excited about the scenery, pretty though it was.
Coastal view near Cape Ashizuri.Ashizuri lighthouse.
That all cleared up by the time we reached the west side of the island. Staying predominantly coastal, our route north took us via the cities of Uwajima ( where I was delighted to catch the Shidenkai Museum ). and Matsuyama where ( in a moment of sheer panic ) we could not locate our parked vehicle – it ended well, but it was frantic for a couple of hours ! Matsuyama, a pretty city and known for an impressive castle, was for us, one of those disaster travel days that come along every once in a while; the drama of not being able to find our vehicle, hours wasted at the immigration office ( only to be told a visa extension was not possible ) and finally missing a visit to the aforementioned Matsuyama castle as we found it closed having arrived late after wasting so much time on the other stuff ! Fortunately, so far anyway, such days have been rare.
The “Shidenkai” fighter plane, raised from the bay nearby in 1979 where it had rested since 1945 after ditching in the final months of WW2. Considered a better fighter than the more well-known “Zero”, which had become obsolete by that stage of the war.Shidenkai fighter.It was dusk by the time we located our van in Matsuyama. Never been so happy to see it !Lois, filling in paperwork for a visa extension. All for nought. No extensions unless we were sick in hospital, they said.As close as we would get to Matsuyama castle, sadly. Not a huge stress, since Japan’s most impressive castle ( Himeji ) was on our itinerary next week.
Part of the attraction of Shikoku is getting there ( and leaving ) via the interconnecting small islands that dot the Inland Sea so we chose that route out – in at the eastern end, out at the western end. Some impressively engineered bridges, a few scenic rural islands, and a short final ferry ride later we were back on the main Island of Honshu at the port of Mihara. Much more of Honshu to come !
Rest stop at a Roadside Station on Ikuchi island as we made our way across the island/bridge chain connecting Shikoku to Honshu at the western end of Shikoku.A rarity in Japan ! While one can dispose of recycling “garbage” ( plastic bottle, cans etc ) without much difficulty in Japan, it is unbelievably rare to see a simple garbage can ( for food waste, wrappers, fruit skins etc ). Here, the two on the end are for regular garbage. Hard to believe, but true. Absolutely EVERY camper we know of struggles with it. One traveller we know used to burn his garbage ! Yes, that hard to dispose of sometimes 😔.
And finally, a short video clip of our week, condensed into just over a minute. Enjoy…..
Most countries have the odd attraction or two that get somewhat over-hyped. In Japan, Amanohashidate would fit that description. A place with an almost mystical/spiritual appeal to the Japanese, and which draws tourists in the thousands, we dropped by on our way from Ine to Kyoto. Glad we did not make a special trip as we’d have been sorely disappointed – literally a non-spectacular sand bar across a bay near Miyazu. Perhaps though, that brief disappointment was all meant to be since the rest of the week brought us all the splendour of Kyoto and Nara, a wonderful reconnection in Osaka with my old boss of 35 years ago, a full service of our vehicle (after an initial struggle) and a nostalgic visit to our old stomping ground in nearby Kobe.
Light and dark blue lines show our route taken this past week. Distance -short. Sights – many !
Unlike Amanohashidate, Kyoto, (Japan’s cultural heart and former capital) very much lives up to the hype – most visitors justifiably spend days visiting its historic shrines and temples, quaint backstreets and excellent shopping options. We limited our re-visit to a few of our old favourites, Kinka Kuji still topping that list – both of us consider it our favourite Japanese shrine/temple. It was just astounding to see the number of foreigners there ( and at other Kyoto sights ) during this visit – at first we thought it was simply because we had been previously travelling in parts of Japan where foreigners are less visible ( was it perhaps that we just noticed them more here ?) but in asking several Japanese merchants, they all confirmed that they have never seen so many foreign visitors in the city as there are at present. They pegged the cheap yen ( “en yasu” in Japanese ) as the driving force. How the world changes – during our time here in the mid 80’s the Japanese business people were all complaining about “en daka” ( the strong yen ). For the first time in many decades, travel in Japan now represents very good value and foreigners are flocking here. More on that in next week’s blog.
Our favourite Japanese shrine, Kinka-Kuji in Kyoto.Possibly Japan’s most photographed sight..Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto.Famous Toji temple, Kyoto.Kyoto backstreet near Kiyomizu-dera DeraKiyomizu Dera, Kyoto.Kiyomizu Dera.Japanese garden, Kiyomizu Dera.Sannenzaka shopping street, Kyoto.Japanese fans, Kyoto store, Sannenzaka.Kimono clad women walking through backstreet in Pontocho, Kyoto.Historic Pontocho street, Kyoto.Street scene, Kawaramachi, Kyoto.Kyoto backstreet scene. Many pretty canals branch off the river.Our van is really NOT that big. Some in Canada could not believe we would travel so far, for so long, in something “so small”. In Japan they always want to put us with buses – sometimes we feel like we are driving a road train here!
The “service soon” indicator had stated to flash on our van ( we knew it was coming ) and had expected that to be solved with a fairly routine visit to any one of the many Mercedes dealers that can be easily found in all major Japanese cities. We figured Kyoto, one of Japan’s most international cities, would provide good dealer options and some English-speaking staff. Turns out we got two of those three things right – there were indeed several dealers, and the one we approached had a very helpful English speaking staff member (Mr. Isobe), but getting our vehicle serviced would turn out to be far more of an adventure than we had ever anticipated. While the Sprinter van is not a common Mercedes product in Japan ( we’ve not yet seen one on the road ) the V6 diesel engine and transmission it uses are very standard across the Mercedes range and hence the requisite oils and filters would/should be widely available. Indeed they were – but a service bay high enough to accomodate it was not !!! Not, it turned out, only in Kyoto, but nor was one apparently available anywhere in Kobe or Osaka, or, if there was, no dealer was willing to tackle servicing our particular vehicle ! Of course what needed to be done could easily have been done outside the service bay and an exception could easily have been made – but making exceptions to rules are not things that Japanese people tend to like to do. The long and short of it all was that our friendly Mercedes service representative, embarrassed at being unable to assist us “in house”, put us in touch with a local workshop that ( we were told ) specialized in “exotic cars and camper vans” ( a truly odd market combination we thought ). Fortunately, they were close by, able to assist us at short notice, and ( unlike all the Mercedes dealers ) were very happy to take on the challenge. Service completed the very next day ! Phew !
Isobe-san checking the van dimensions to see if there was a Mercedes dealer anywhere in Honshu that had a Service Bay high enough to accommodate us – yes, really ! And they all said no !Ultimately, Mercedes Kyoto referred us to Tanimoto-san at NAC Auto who specialized in “exotic” vehicles and “campervans”. Despite that being a seemingly odd market segment, Tanimoto-san took great care of us and got the job done !While our van was ( in our mind anyway ) far from exotic, some of his other clients’ vehicles certainly qualified ! A classic Porsche.When we left NAC Auto, the van was cleaned to showroom condition! Vacuumed inside, too !In true Japanese style ( where service is EVERYTHING), we were driven to, and picked up from, the nearby railway station so we could sightsee while the service was done.
Through a mutual friend I had been able to reach out to and connect with my old boss from our time living in Japan over 35 years ago and it was with much enthusiasm that both Lois and I were looking forward to reconnecting with him while in the area. Maenaka san and his wife, Hideko, had agreed to meet us in historic Nara for a coffee and lunch so we made Nara our next port of call. Now, 35 years is a long time between catch ups so needless to say we had lots to talk about and thoroughly enjoyed both the coffees and the lunch, the experience definitely enhanced by Maenaka san’s choice of venue, the historic Nara Hotel. Nara is very congested and I was concerned where we would park our van but he had that all taken care of and the valet had us parked up right in front of the lobby! Needless to say, our arrival created quite a bit of commotion with the usual, “oki” and “takai” banter ensuing ( “It’s big, it’s high” ). A spectacular lunch, awesome views across Nara Park and great conversations filled the mid-day with subsequent hours spent exploring Nara’s attractions. So wonderful to reconnect after so long.
My old boss in Japan, Maenaka-san and his wife, Hideko. We’d not seen each other in over 35 years ! We enjoyed an amazing lunch at the historic Nara Hotel.Coffee followed, but I had tea. I was given a timer to tell when the tea had steeped sufficiently. Yes, that kind of detail at this hotel !One can’t walk through Nara Park without being accosted by the deer. Hundreds of them !Entrance to Todai-ji, Nara.Today-ji, known for its Great Buddha.Great Buddha, Nara.
While I had worked mostly in Osaka, we lived ( and Lois worked ) in nearby Kobe. Of course no visit to Japan would be complete without a good walk down memory lane and after navigating some pretty crazy traffic between Osaka and Kobe, we managed to find a great place to park up for the night, high up on Rokko Mountain with a spectacular view over Osaka Bay and the surrounding cities. Probably one of the best camping spots in Japan so far.
Confusing traffic lights in Osaka. Rather than a solid green with a red right-turn arrow, we often see this. Hmm.Caught rush hour, it was slow going.Camping spot on Mt Rokko, Kobe. The iOverlander app just continues to deliver great spots to stay.View by day, and…….…even more stunning at night.
Sadly, the next day in Kobe was a little more problematic. We did manage to stop by and walk around our old neighbourhood and check out our old place (which remains largely unchanged). Given that the great Kobe earthquake occurred in 1995 and damaged much of the city, there was no guarantee our old neighbourhood would look as it did. The difficulty of finding a place to park our vehicle in Kobe meant that we didn’t get to spend as much time as we would’ve liked in the city. Some Japanese cities are just like that. What parking that did exist in the city ( at least that we could find ) was all designed for these new micro cars that everybody seems to be driving in Japan ! No room for us 😔.
Our home for over 3 years in Japan, top floor unit in “Atelier G” (at the time the Japanese had a thing for French names).
Leaving Kobe to the west one does not drive very far until the amazing new Akashi bridge comes into view. It was built just as we were leaving Japan, and now connects the Honshu mainland to the island of Awaji, which in turn forms a land bridge between Honshu and the island of Shikoku, the fourth of Japan’s four major islands. More on our travels in Awaji and Shikoku next blog.
Till next week….
Another “montage” of video clips from the week that was. Enjoy…….
The incredibly lush, green scenery of Kyushu continued all the way north and east as we left Cape Sata in the far south. Reaching the east coast an unexpected surprise was passing the Japan Space Agency’s rocket centre at Uchinoura. It’s certainly no Cape Canaveral but since we were here (and visits were permitted) we decided to go in and take a peek. Unfortunately, just as we did, a huge waft of fog enveloped the mountain bringing visibility almost to zero. Rather a non-event ! What was not a non-event was the beauty of the east coast and specifically an area known as the Nichinan Kaigan coast which extends almost to Miyazaki. While perhaps somewhat generously compared to Italy’s Amalfi coast, it does share some of the same steep cliff drop offs, rocky outcrops and pristine sea views as its more famous Italian cousin. The rutted, horizontal rock formations near Aoshima are quite unique.
Uchinoura Space Centre – we got “fogged out” !Nichinan Kaigan coast.Rock formation known as the “Ogres Washboard”, near Aoshima.Ditto
Miyazaki is one of the nicer small Japanese cities and while not holding a lot of interest for the foreign visitor it’s well known in Japan as being pretty much the centre of early Japanese civilization and Miyazaki jingu shrine is the very place where Japan’s first emperor ( Jimmu ), dating back to 600BC, is enshrined. While famous Beppu ( known for its hot springs and thermal pools ) was the main attraction for us before leaving Kyushu, a slight detour west to unique Tackachiho Gorge made for a very worthwhile diversion – not just for the unique gorge itself but for the drive in which included some of Kyushu’s finest scenery ( and narrowest roads ! ). Hardy surprising I suppose, as it criss-crossed parts of Kyushu’s legendary Yamanami Highway.
Heiwa ( Peace ) Park, Miyazaki.Miyazaki Jingu shrine.Tackachiho GorgeTackachiho Gorge
Beppu never disappoints and on this occasion, in addition to visits to a number of its well known red and blue colored thermal springs we managed to find a little, out of the way, quiet outdoor onsen, of the type that can be harder to find. Not only were there pools of differing temperatures and supposed therapeutic qualities but this one included a soothing mud bath. Highly recommended should you get to Beppu !
West of Beppu and across Kyushu’s north lies much heavy industry and generally unappealing urban sprawl ( including Kokura, the city which was supposed to have been the 2nd A Bomb target – how lucky were they ? ) – good for a long “drive day” which got us across the huge Kanmon Bridge connecting Kyushu with Shimonoseki on Japan’s main island of Honshu.
Kanmon Bridge, Shimonoseki.
Here there was a decision to be made since our travels would now take us east across western Honshu. On the advice of the “Lonely Planet: Japan” author we opted for the more rural and scenic northern route across what is known as the Sanin Coast versus the more industrial and congested Inland Sea route ( parts of which we would explore later anyway ). An easy choice, really, since we had not explored this part of Japan at all previously. It turned out to be a great call since the route across the north over the next four or five days brought us ( mostly ) good weather, great coastal scenery, two historic towns ( Hagi and Tsuwono ), one of Japan’s best preserved castles in Matsue, a sand dune surprise in Tottori, and finally a look at one of Honshu’s most historic and unique fishing villages at Ine. A week overflowing with sights.
Toll booths and toll roads always seem to cause us an issue. Got on this one by accident !I lost the bet in Korea but won it in Japan. We met Mr and Mrs Kim from Korea who shipped their Jeep over to Japan for a month of travel. So we’ve now met one other foreign vehicle !At the Michi No Eki where we met the Kim’s, a car club was having a meet up – some nice machinery !I got to check out a Lamborghini Countach. Very low.Scene in Hagi.Noble’s house from 1850’s, Hagi.Ikebana display, Hagi.Sanin coast, near Matsue.Stunning coastal rock formation, near Matsue.Beautiful Inari shrine, Tsuwano.A street scene, Tsuwano. The canals each side are full of koi.Traditional sake store, Tsuwano.First glimpse, Matsue Castle.Full reveal. One of the few original castles surviving in Japan and dating back to 1611.Samurai house, Matsue.Sahara desert, or ? Tottori sand dunes, Tottori. Not something I EVER thought I‘d see in Japan !Traditional boathouses, Ine village.Boathouses, closer view.
From the Sanin coast we head inland to Japan’s cultural capital, Kyoto and explore Kyoto, Osaka, historic Nara and our old stomping ground of Kobe. Till next week……
Note: This week I decided to roll all the video clips into one 4 minute “reel”. Gives a bit more continuity and the clips pretty much follow the order of the pictures above. Enjoy….
One can’t leave Nagasaki without being profoundly impacted by what you’ve seen at its most famous museum. We certainly were. This week, though, we’d see an amazing museum which detailed another tragic chapter in the closing days of Japan’s WW2 experience – in our continuing trip around the beautiful southern Japanese island of Kyushu we would discover the beauty of Unzen ( a spa town on the Shimabara peninsula ), the castle city of Kumamoto, the volcanic craters of Mt. Aso, and a few truly unexpected gems in the Kagoshima region ( one, as mentioned above, that had a similar impact on us as the A Bomb museum in Nagasaki did – albeit from a completely different perspective). Despite a generally dismal week weather-wise it was one that we packed a lot into.
Recent route ( in blue).Unzen onsen…..the town is a mecca for them.
Directly north of Nagasaki lies a fertile volcanic area known as the Shimabara peninsula. Almost (but not quite) an island, this area presents a number of attractions but key for us was the spa/onsen town of Unzen. Unzen is generously endowed with some of Japan’s best spa’s – the scenery on the way up its tortuously windy access road is pretty impressive as well. Tested one of the local onsens and found it very soothing – no shortage of hot baths in this town. The ever friendly local tourist office referred us to a great little “hole in the wall” Japanese restaurant and again ( as in Fukuoka ) we were not disappointed – not a super busy night so ( as an added bonus ) the owners insisted on making us both a couple of traditional Japanese paper cuttings. Yet again, we’ve been dazzled by the incredible hospitality we’ve experienced on the road.
Hmmm. If the parking space is not too small there is another issue ( low branches )!Steaming hot “ofuro” bath.Personalized paper cuttings made for us by the restaurant owner.Thermal activity, Unzen.
After winding our way down to the coast, we took the 45 minute ferry from Tiara Port to Nagasu putting us on the Kumamoto side of the Kagoshima peninsula and an easy drive east to one of Japan’s more famous volcanoes, “Aso-San” ( Mt. Aso). Still active, and constantly spewing smoke, Aso attracts hikers from all over Japan and beyond. We were actually surprised at how many foreign visitors we saw while there. Sadly, dangerous recent thermal activity meant that Nakodate crater is no longer accessible to visitors 😔. While at Aso the sun shone brightly so we were keen to get in all the hiking and sights that we could – our first sunny day in a while.
Also has craters within craters. Incredibly green.Towns and farms exist inside what is the world’s largest caldera.Resting during a hike.
You know it’s getting hot and humid when you see palm trees line the roads – entering Kumamoto.
Pretty Kumamoto is only a stone’s throw from Aso and its historic castle is a major draw. Like many such castles in Japan it’s seen a lot of renovations but it is definitely one of the better ones. Kumamoto was also easy to navigate so we went right into the heart of the city with the van, taking in impressive Suizenji Koen ( Park ) as well. Parking was, thankfully, not an issue in Kumamoto !
Suizenji park, Kumamoto – the hill is meant to resemble Mt Fuji.Japanese garden, Kumamoto.Impressive Kumamoto castle.Ditto.
The Kagoshima area is not far south of Kumamoto and basically represents the southern extremity of “mainland”’ Japan. That, we knew. There were two major events in Japan’s ( relatively ) recent history in which Kagoshima played a pivotal role ( that we did not know about ), but both of which we would explore during our time there.
The first. I won’t get into the weeds here but Kagoshima ( and the local Satsuma clan ) was at the heart of many of the events surrounding the early and often tumultuous days of “Meiji” all of which is described in great detail at Kagoshima’s Museum of the Meiji Restoration . If you’ve seen Tom Cruise’s epic “The Last Samurai” it covers some of the political and military machinations during this tumultuous period in Japanese history, albeit with the usual Hollywood liberties taken. Fascinating stuff if you have any curiosity at all about Japan’s rapid rise into a powerful modern state once it opened up to the world in the mid 1800’s.
Saigo Takamori, samurai, nobleman, patriot, famous Kagoshima son.
As the Kagoshima area weather was not always cooperative we also loaded up on museum visits while there and based on a tip from another overlander we made the 1 hour trek out to the Chiran Peace Museum. Probably one of the most well presented and touching museums we’ve seen in a long time. Chiran, you see, tells the story of the “tokkotai” – a group better known outside Japan as “kamikaze” pilots. I’ll back it up a bit first. By March of 1945 the writing was on the wall for Japan in WW2. Okinawa was under Allied control and US ships were nearing the home islands ( Japan’s 4 main islands, of which Kyushu is the southernmost). Chiran is in the far south of Kyushu and, being the furthest forward operating base, was the airfield from which approximately half the young Kamikaze pilots departed to attack Allied ships, primarily around Okinawa. Over 1,000 in all.
Statue of a mother, looking up at her kamikaze son, flying off on what she knew was his final mission.
Hard, in today’s world, to understand why these young men were asked to make such a pointless sacrifice so late in a war which was, to all intents and purposes, already lost. While we never got the answer to that, we came away with immense respect for the courage of the young pilots, many of whom were not yet 20. The stories they wrote to their mothers on the night before their “final mission” had us both almost tearing up. I was left with this thought – it’s got to be unbelievably tough for any parent to send a son/daughter off to any conflict knowing they might not return. Imagine being the parent of a son asked to be a kamikaze pilot ? Definitely a one-way ticket. I’ll let the following pictures tell the story.
Kamikaze pilot ready for his final mission.Notes of support and encouragement were often written on a hino maru ( national flag ).This pilot – a boy of 18.Samples of clothing.Googles and cap.Remnants of a Japanese “Zero” fighter recovered from Kagoshima Bay in the 1980’s.“Triangle” huts, where pilots spent their last night together, shared stories, sake ( and, according to one letter, often some tears).Inside the triangle hut. Pictures of the pilots can be seen on the wall.Letter to parents by young pilot, “Masanobu”Page 2 of letter..The original Chiran base ( airfield) has long since been redeveloped but remnants remain in the town – here a water tank from the war period.
Following the incredibly sombre experience in Chiran some relaxation was in order – what better place than nearby Ibusuki, home of the famous Japanese hot sand bath . A wonderful experience where you lay on a bed of hot sand ( heated from hot springs below the sand ) and staff cover you in more hot sand up to your neck in which you then relax for 15-20 minutes. Invigorating..! The experience is completed with some further relaxation in a hot onsen afterwards. Bliss.
Hot sand bath, Ibusuki. Photos not allowed – this one from the hotel itself.While parked up in Ibusuki a very friendly Japanese fellow in an extremely “lifted” Mitsubishi Delica van insisted on photographing his vehicle together with ours. Despite his van’s lift kit he could not believe how “takai” ( high ) our van was in comparison. Conical Mt. Kaimon, near Ibusuki at the very bottom of Kyushu. Typically the last Japanese landmark the kamikaze pilots saw as they flew south to certain death in Okinawa.
A short ferry ride across the mouth of Kagoshima Bay took us to the south eastern side of Kagoshima-ken ( state ), close to the southern-most extremity of mainland Japan. Not just an “extremity” box to tick but it’s a particularly scenic drive to Cape Sata that attracts drivers and riders from all over Japan. We’d earlier reached Kyushu’s western edge (near Sasebo) so made the trek on to Cape Sata, Not only was the drive ( and hike at the end of it ) worthwhile, but it also afforded us a chance to camp at the first “formal” Japanese campsite we’d come across. Not exactly like home, but pretty close and ticked all the key boxes : flat, with potable water, and impeccable amenities. We hope to find more of these!
View of our van we don’t often see – on the ferry to Capa Sata.
Hiked out to the Cape Sata observatory- time for a selfie.Cape Sata – end of the road in southern Japan Bikers LOVE the road to Cape Sata. It’s all about the curves.
Being at the very bottom of Kyushu now, the obvious next direction is north, following a general route along the east coast of Kyushu- but, we’ll save that for the next blog 😊.
Funnily enough, we got our first impression ( or should I say, first “reminder” ) while still on the ship from Busan. The ship is Japanese ( but managed together with a Korean company ) so it has more of a Japanese “flavour” one might say – tatami rooms that could sleep up to 10 people, its own “sento” ( hot bath ) and, something else we have only ever seen in Japan – beer sold from vending machines ( common not just on the ship but all over Japan ) ! Most people reading this blog live in North American or Australia – in any of those countries it would be emptied by under age kids in short order ! The Japanese, though, are known for following rules – even adolescents, it seems.
Japan is the only country we have been to where beer ( and other alcohol ) is sold in vending machines.Our happy moment – finally leaving the Port of Fukuoka.The day was not perfectly clear on arrival in Fukuoka but was much better than the air quality we experienced in Busan.
After an extraordinarily long first day dealing with customs, carnet and insurance issues, it was exciting to finally drive out of the ferry terminal, with our van, ready to explore Japan. Fukuoka itself, a nice enough mid-sized Japanese city, does not have a ton of sights of interest but certainly enough to fill a day so we started our Japan sightseeing right there. On top of the interesting sights, a real delight was stumbling upon one of the city’s older, and very popular, yakitori restaurants; enjoyed the best wasabi-flavored chicken skewers ever, washed down with a generous serving of sake to celebrate our safe arrival in the country. Definitely a memorable moment, made more enjoyable by the company of some super friendly and helpful locals.
Downtown Fukuoka is a reasonably nice Japanese city, super clean, and very easy to get around.Ohiri Park Japanese garden, Fukuoka.Remains of Fukuoka castle. Mist show, Japanese garden, Fukuoka.
The flowers were beautiful. Azaleas in a Fukuoka garden.Loved this yakitori restaurant..!The sake came in a glass, placed in a box. They filled the sake to overflowing so that it almost filled the box. Once you finish the glass one empties to rest of the sake from the box into the glass. Perhaps it’s a Kyushu thing !
From Fukuoka, the plan was generally to travel southwest in the direction of Nagasaki. Where possible, toll roads were avoided ( not hard to do ) giving us a great perspective on life in rural Kyushu; small towns, farms, fishing villages and the odd larger centre filled our first few days. Some great beach camping, scenic coastal drives and our first Michi-no-Eki ( literally “road side station” ) experience were highlights. We have nothing quite like a Michi-no-Eki; think of a farmers market, running every day from 9-5, with plenty of parking, impeccably clean toilet facilities and perhaps a small store. Place it on a main road so that passing travellers have a place to pull over, rest ( for a few hours, or even overnight ) and sample regional specialties that are for sale. These have only been around for 20 years but are now all over Japan…..well over 1,000 of them in fact, and they make great places to park up for the night as many Japanese (and others) do. It’s been a hugely successful idea- we are already fans.
Lois in a michi-no-eki near Nagasaki.Beach camping, just south of Fukuoka.Terraced rice fields, rural Kyushu.
Travel on Japanese back roads is slow, with much of it done between 40 and 60km/h but being in no hurry that gave us the opportunity to better appreciate the whole experience. Given that distances are not great, and the roads are usually windy in mostly mountainous conditions, the slow speed is not an issue- but I would not want to be driving across Canada at that speed. For most of our first few days the weather was either overcast or drizzling – unfortunate ( and unseasonal we were assured ) but it’s what we had so it limited some of our outdoor options.
By the time we reached Nagasaki, things had improved somewhat and we had reasonably clear days there. The A-Bomb museum and nearby Memorial to the Victims were priorities and both truly conveyed the horrors of war, especially nuclear war, well. Hard not to get emotional when looking at some of the displays – it was not lost on either of us that, given the Japanese people’s general longevity, and the fact that it occurred only 78 years ago, there would still be a significant number of survivors alive in the city with clear memories of it.
The impressive Memorial to Victims, right beside the A Bomb Museum, Nagasaki.Replica of the actual bomb that was dropped, known as “Fat Man”.Downtown traffic, Nagasaki.
In addition to the slightly kitschy “Megane Bridge” there were a few other sights we’d hoped to see in the city but had to abort those plans when we realized two things: a) Nagasaki’s streets are really narrow ( even for Japan ) and challenged our ability even just to turn in some cases, and b) while there were parking places which we would have happily paid for, they were all way too small for our 7m long van ! Worse, many parking spaces, (even those in open air locations) have height considerations which treat our van as a (perish the thought)….bus !!! Japanese parking lots consider our van to be enormous and where we have been able to park ( based on either length or height ) we have been hit with “bus” size parking fees ( almost 5 times what a car pays ) in some cases. Not something we can’t work around but definitely a consideration that will require a little more “strategizing” as we visit some of the larger cities ( in rural parts, no issue ).
“Megane” ( spectacles ) Bridge, Nagasaki.
Parked here, back in Fukuoka and assumed we’d pay the ( posted ) car rate of ¥700 ( $6 Cdn ). Did not notice the vertical bars (with hidden cameras) that measured our height and stung us for the “bus” rate of ¥3,000 as we departed. Height as a cost criteria – in an open air lot ? Ouch. We’re learning fast.First week in Japan.
Before I wrap up this week’s blog with a look at some facets of the country that are, well, uniquely Japanese ( enjoy ), an interesting little side note on Nagasaki and that fateful event on August 9th, 1945: it was not the intended destination for the 2nd A bomb. It was actually destined for Kokura, further north. The plane with the bomb actually flew to Kokura, circled several times and then aborted the target due to persistent cloud cover. The plane banked and headed south to Nagasaki, where, initially anyway, there was also cloud cover. They decided to wait there a bit longer – just before they would have had to turn for home, the cloud cover broke and the world’s second atomic bomb was released….the rest, as they say, is history.
You Know You’re In Japan When:
…..the taxi diver is wearing white gloves ( and always opens the rear curbside door for you from inside the car ) !….the apples are blemish free, individually wrapped in clear film, and THEN wrapped again in protective foam mesh ! Always. And everywhere.….ditto for avocados ! ….in many fuel stations there is no “bowser” as such. Hoses are pulled down from ceiling pods in stations like this. In the big cities, it’s all about space !…..and finally, in Japan even a visit to a simple public toilet is high tech. This one is typical – seat heats up as you open the door, it automatically flushes as you stand up ( but the blue button on the wall allows for a manual flush). The other 5 controls on the wall ? Two controls for the bidet, one other for the bidet water stream strength, another for sound volume control ( the sound of running water is heard while you do your business ), and a manual “stop” control. The small, wall mounted seat in front of the toilet is to place an infant ( should you be carrying one ) ! They’ve got it all covered here…….
What follows here is a review of the process of shipping our Mercedes Sprinter van from Australia to Korea ( February 2024 ) and then on from Korea to Japan ( April 2024 ). A warning – our regular blog readers will find minimal information of any interest in this edition ( unless the excruciating minutiae of shipping a vehicle captivates you ! ) – the detail is provided for those who may be looking to do something similar with a vehicle, either from Australia to Korea or onwards from Korea to Japan. A little payback ( or paying it forward ) for the many who helped guide us in this process in the past.
Dropping the van at the Port of Melbourne for shipment to Korea.
After spending all of 2023 and the early part of 2024 travelling around Australia in our Sprinter campervan, we shipped the van via RoRo from Melbourne to Pyeongtaek, Korea. We shipped via a Wallenius Wilhelmsen car carrier that stopped in Fremantle, Singapore, Laem Chabang ( Bangkok ) and Kunsan en route and took almost 30 days. After almost 4 weeks travelling with the van in Korea, we took the Camellia Line ferry from the port of Busan ( Korea ) to Fukuoka ( Japan ). We hope that the details below will offer some valuable insights ( we’ve included pricing and contact info ) to overlanders ( or anyone else ) contemplating shipping to or from these ports. I know I echo the thoughts of every overlander in saying that THE most stressful part of life on the road is dealing with shipping, especially collecting your vehicle, and specifically off a RoRo ship. Fortunately, this time ours is a good news story.
Not our specific ship but the same shippingcompany and same type of ship.
Australia to Korea
We used Anthony Paratore of Bullock’s Freightmaster in Fremantle. Anthony was timely, competitive and very reassuring throughout. Highly recommended. We shipped RoRo, on a Wallenius car carrier from Melbourne to Pyeongtaek in Korea ( about 30 days ). We took marine insurance through Stewart Insurance Group ( Michael/Anastasia ) who were also excellent and prompt. Quote was based on our vehicle’s value so no point quoting insurance premiums here. They were very competitive and used Zurich, a major global player. Drop off at the Port of Melbourne was fast and easy, we paid about $150AUD for the required port escort and were in and out in about 45 minutes.
Anthony referred us to YCL Logistics ( in Seoul ) to handle to collection process in Korea. They were professional, prompt with communication and gave us white glove treatment all the way. Not cheap, but very much full service ( pick up from hotel, driven 2 hours to Pyeongtaek for vehicle collection etc, etc ). Our experience was complicated by the fact that Wallenius changed our port of delivery from Masan to Pyeongtaek and this added some time and expense to the process. No one’s fault, *&$# happens ! Kunsan, Incheon and Masan are far more commonly used and would have saved us some money certainly.
This is now our 4th international shipment ( 1 x container, 3 x RoRo ) and while the broad process is identical there are unique aspects of each that merit attention. In respect of Korea I should add this; while I can’t say it with absolute certainty I’m quite sure the majority who visit with their own vehicles come by ferry from one of Japan ( several port options ), Russia ( Vladivostok ) or China ( Dalian/Tianjin ). It seems that in the case of ferry arrivals ( vs RoRo carriers or container ships ) the port procedures and customs clearance processes are far simpler ( and hence far cheaper ). Our experience was on a RoRo carrier, from Melbourne ( Australia ) so the clearance procedures were quite a bit more involved and hence more expensive (we also got “white glove” treatment – just the way our Korean contacts worked which undoubtedly added to our costs ). I’m sure it could be done for less if one handled some of the process oneself ( as we’ve done ourselves in other ports ).
Costs:
We had exceptional service from Anthony Paratore at Bullocks in Fremantle and would highly recommend him. For a 42cbm vehicle we paid $4,970 AUD ( approx. $US 3,230 ) from Australia to Korea – this included shipping freight and all port charges in Australia except the port escort in Melbourne ( approx. $150 AUD). Vehicle insurance is extra and no point in me quoting it here because it’s based largely on vehicle value so will vary enormously. Michael at Stewart’s in Melbourne was very competitive with a policy from Zurich Marine – and super fast.
At the Korean end YCL also served us very well. Super people with multiple English speaking contacts ( JB, Emily and James ) and very “full service” but as a result they are not cheap. We paid $US 1,100 to pick up our van in Pyeongtaek when all various charges were added. Two things ( no one’s fault ) compounded the costs. Firstly, Korean Customs at Pyongtaek do not often handle individual vehicles (we were told ) and simply were not sure of some of the processes. They had to consult with the folks at Incheon and Masan in order to complete our clearance. At one point they even suggested that it may be required to bond our vehicle, place it on a flatbed truck and drive it to Busan since that is the port we intended to exit from and according to their understanding, we should enter and exit through the same port ! Our agent talked them out of that nonsense. Had the ship stuck to its original discharge destination I have no doubt the process would have cost less. According to our shipping agent, Incheon was the best port to enter Korea through if one had a choice ( we didn’t ! ).
JB Chang of YCL and I receiving our vehicle in Pyeongtaek. No damage, no theft !
That all said, the pick up process at Pyongtaek was incredibly easy and very fast. About 45 minutes. Only in Brunswick, Georgia ( in the US ) have we seen a vehicle released faster and with less fuss – about 30 minutes ( a striking contrast to our experience trying to clear the vehicle out of Melbourne when it first went to Australia !!). No one looked at the vehicle with us, no one checked that we had insurance (we did have it) – some basic ID checks, hi-viz vest and hard hat worn, proof of fees paid and we were on our way. All done digitally, practically no paper. So simple.
What Went Well:
Well, the most important thing of course – we got our vehicle in perfect condition with no damage and (critically) NO THEFT ! I went to extreme lengths to ensure that everything of value that was left in the van was secured in the garage compartment under our bed and that it was able to be locked separately from the rest of the van. Unless customs wanted to check it when it arrived in Korea ( which I could facilitate ) there was no way port staff or ship-board crew could access our stuff. No one ( from the port staff ) accompanied us to the van when we collected it ( just my agent and I ). Fortunately no one in Melbourne made us unlock that area of the vehicle when we dropped it there ( in some ports they do ). This was a huge relief based on two significant thefts on past RoRo transits.
Vehicles coming and going at Pyeongtaek port.
What Did Not:
While originally routed from Melbourne to Masan ( in the south of South Korea ), once at sea the shipping line changed our unloading port to Pyeongtaek ( nearer to Seoul ). This caused hassles and costs for our agents, and we were stuck dealing with a port not familiar with what we were doing.
Summary:
We felt the shipping cost to Korea was excellent value given typical shipping costs these days. We felt the clearing costs in Korea ( on our particular shipment ) were higher than normal ( partly for reasons noted above ). It cost more than twice as much to clear our van in Korea than it cost to clear our vehicle in Brunswick, Georgia just 2 years earlier. I would have expected costs in the US to be higher than Korea; not so ! I would not assume these costs we paid to be normal, however, and am sure it could be done for well under $1,000 at other Korean ports. We know of people that paid considerably less than us.
Korea To Japan
We chose the Camellia Line ferry to transport our van from Busan ( Korea ) to Fukuoka ( Japan ). I cannot speak highly enough about this company. They did an excellent job from start to finish and we would recommend them highly. We booked it all via email through YJ Choi of the Busan office ( yjchoi@koreaferry.kr ). The ferry was on time ( arrived early in fact ) and they were super well organized from A to Z. Staff at the office spoke English, as did their port staff and staff on the ship. We were personally escorted to the ship with our van, through customs in Korea and again in Japan. They explained exactly what documents we needed ( passport, Carnet, Int’l Drivers Licence, and vehicle registration documents). They took care of issuing the basic Third Party Insurance needed to get road-ready in Japan and directed us to the JAF ( Japan Autombile Federation ) office in Fukuoka for Carnet validation.
Arrived at Busan Port International Terminal. A huge but extremely well organized place. Getting there from our campsite was challenging, the only time we ( briefly ) got lost in Korea.
About to leave Busan, 10pm at night.
Costs:
There was lots of room, ours was the ONLY private van/car on the ferry.They allowed me to inspect the lashing process and made sure I was happy it was tight. Have never had that before !Because we were shipping a vehicle the ferry company more or less gave us a personal assistant from start to finish. We were the only private vehicle on the ferry, along with a young Korean guy who had a motorbike.
Costs:
We paid 726,000 Korean won ( $537 USD ) to ship our 3.5 tonne, 42cbm van along with driver, passenger and a 2 berth deluxe private cabin with its own shower and toilet ( 536,000 for the van and driver, 90,000 for the passenger, and 100,000 for the cabin ). In Japan we paid approx. ¥32,700 ($212 USD) in charges – ¥5,000 port fees, ¥3,000 Carnet validation at JAF, ¥16,000 Surety Deposit at Japan Customs and ¥7,700 mandatory Third Party Insurance for the van. Camellia Line had a good reputation, was used by others we knew of and sails on the shortest route from Korea to Japan. I believe the Pukwan ferry carries vehicles as well but sails to Osaka ( further, and more expensive ). For those interested there are also ferries from Korea to Russia ( Vladivostok) and Korea to China ( Dalian ) although the Russian one may not be running at present.
On board the “New Camellia”.
What went well:
Everything, until we got to Fukuoka where the delays at Japan Customs cost us many hours of wasted time. It was a very long day ! Throughout the delays in Japan the Camellia staff were excellent. They could not apologize enough. The actual customs inspection in Japan was cursory- they barely looked inside and never even opened the rear doors. They seemed more interested in our trip around Australia and Korea than anything else ! On that note, the customs inspection in Korea was very basic as well. Super fast and easy.
It took a long time to do the paperwork at JAF where the Carnet was validated on behalf of Japan Customs and necessitated us commuting half way across Fukuoka. Not a slick process.
What did not:
It was a long wait at the terminal in Fukuoka for the Carnet to be processed.and documents signed. And then more signed, and then more when I asked that Lois be allowed to drive the car as well. Supposedly, if arriving in Japan by ferry, one is not “required” to have a Carnet but that was never presented to us an option – they asked us right from the beginning about the Carnet so we never explored the TIP option. I will ask more about that and update this section if I find out further information on it, it may have been an easier way to go.
Not the QE2, but hey, it’s an overnight ferry ! The cabin was large, comfortable, on the top deck, had a huge window with private toilet/shower.
Celebration time ! Paperwork all done in Fukuoka and we could ( finally ) drive away ! Here with Camellia staff member and agents for Japan Customs.
Summary:
We would highly recommend this route to Japan. Comfortable ferry, smooth crossing, well priced and very well organized. We had briefly considered shipping directly from Australia to Japan but decided to include Korea on the route for a few reasons; there was much of it we had never seen before, what we had seen had changed a lot in 40 years, and finally, we knew that the ferry crossing from Korea to Japan was quick, easy and ended up being even less expensive than we thought. It’s also a less popular destination for overland travellers which provided a more unique experience. For only an additional $US700 or so it was a very small price to pay to include both countries on our itinerary, and we are very glad we did.
What Next :
We are now in Japan and excited to begin exploring the “Land of the Rising Sun”. We will shortly start making plans to confirm space on a ship out of Japan for later this ( northern ) summer. Details on that once we have them.
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
