Travel – Passau

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After a long hiatus our first hello, from Germany  – Passau¹ –

aka “the city of 3 rivers”

Located right next to the border of Austria it is only a 1h ride by car from Regensburg (or 2h from Munich) offering you one of the oldest buildings you can find in Germany. (roughly 800 of them are listed as historical heritage, following Regensburg with 1500.)

3 different rivers coming from 3 different cardinal directions (which is quite rare I believe) connect in this city. 3 different colours so to speak – green , blue , black – INN, DONAU, ILZ respectively.

Time to write this post is limited. So, again, I let pictures speak for itself.
Don’t forget to visit “Veste Oberhaus” – a huge fortress dating back to 1219 – which not only gives you one of the best views over the town itself, but also offers a great stay at one of the youth hostels.

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Passau^– City of 3 rivers

Travel – Kawasaki Yokohama

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So this is our goodbye, a truly good one at  – The Warehouse¹ –
aka “Kawasaki King Skyfrong Tokyu Rei Hotel”

Located right on the opposite side of Haneda Airport, it is only a 10min ride by Taxi (or 20min by free Shuttle Bus from Kawasaki Station) offering one of the best views this area can offer, for not too much of your money (though it is indeed a 4* Hotel, thus not exactly low budget as my other posts.)

The name fits its interior and location. Between industrial buildings and warehouses (you might worry that you took the wrong shuttle bus and end up at some yakuza headquater for some time) the hotel lies right next to Tama River offering a super great view to Haneda Airport (all you airplane-lovers out there – this is THE MUST Hotel you have to stay at least 1 or 2 nights.)

The rooms are spacious, “designy” and clean, amenities are more than enough (public bath, fitness room, huge cafe/lobby business-lounge area, laundry etc.), breakfast is buffet style with another great view to start the day and, though being quite stuck without your own car you have a ⇒ Post office as well as a 24h 7/11 within 3min walking distance (though I do recommend the bar/restaurant) as well as the option to rent your own bicyle.

In case you have some more time to spend, we recommend to checkout the surrounding area leading to Yokohama and it’s new  “Gundam Factory” (a nearly 1:1 scaled Gundam that actually moves more than just his head) near the port.

Take a nice walk, eat some delicious food, ride the train back to Kawasaki Station and take the free shuttle bus back to the hotel (be sure to check the time) → the route where our pictures were taken took us half a day and was :

⇒Hotel • walk (20m) • Anamori Inari Sta • train (direct) • Hinode Sta • walk (25m) • Port Area (Gundam) • walk (15m) • Kannai Sta • train (direct) • Kawasaki Sta • Shuttle Bus to Hotel ⇐

One of the best experiences I had in Japan so far with hotels and trips – and one of my last recommendations as well as last entry this year. Let’s hope 2021 will be less –virus– and more –value-.

🎄 Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year🎄

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Kawasaki King Skyfront Hotel– [川崎キングスカイフロント東急REIホテル] wonderful view, spacious and kids friendly

Gundam Factory– [a must visit even from afar]

Travel – Watergate

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Due to certain pandemic chaos, trips where limited, which is why we decided to check out  – Iwabuchi Watergate¹ –
“The reason why our feet stayed dry all 8 years”

Located a bit north of where we live, this gate was built as part of a long canal which divided one river into two (Arakawa and Sumidagawa), thus saving thousands of households from floods that basically occur every year.

But don’t worry, this is not just looking at a 100 year old watergate -day, (there’s a new one too, hah!) Aaaand – as “free space” is limited in good ol’ Tokyo, it is THE perfect escape spot if you wanna take a deep breath ⇒ green grass, sakura trees, fishing spots, empty areas (yes, empty!)

⇒ chill • walk • relax • enjoy ⇐

As a bonus, we recommend you to checkout the nearby station “Akabane” and its area where you will find delicious korean food, a grandpa who makes Tatami in his tiny factory as well as a Shrine on top of the roof of a regular apartment building (be sure to not walk pass the entrance) – and in general, the area has a certain vibe as the “ekimae” street is circled around a huge highschool.

• Korean Food – [東京チゲ屋] lunch is cheap and delicious
• Tatami Maker – [堀内畳店] watch him making tatamis
• Rooftop Shrine -[作徳稲荷大明神 (屋上の稲荷様)] don’t miss the entrance (normal appartment)
• Museum of Aqua (might require pre-registration)

This post is shorter than usual, as we are in the midst of moving. It might actually be my last travel IN Japan post for the next couple of months. My hubs might update some interesting stuff he will find in our new country, and of course I will post about our annual trips to Korea/Japan 🙂

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Iwabuchi Watergate^– [岩淵水門] a nice daytrip or lunch/late afternoon date

Travel – Sydney Australia

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NOTE: This post was written in January 2020. Pre-Crisis, you might want to think of it as –a post from a better world– 

We did it; and no regrets. At all. If you follow my posts, you might have realized we mostly go on (low) budget trips. And taking Australia’s d i s t a n c e into account, paired with the fact we went for New Year – it indeed was low budget ↔ Sydney ^¹ It, again, was very spontaneous. Born from the fact we might leave Japan in 2020 – Australia won the race: 34h flight (our future home) vs. 15h flight (from Japan, 1 Stop in China) » of course there are direct flights, but those are totally overpriced.

And believe it or not; for a New Year 4-night Ibis Airport Hotel holiday, we spent merely 1200 bucks per person [including: flights, hotel, food-drinks, train, 2 day hop-on-off bus/ferry AND presents/postcards for our beloved family]  – for people non familiar with the system; you easily spend over 2000 bucks during New Year/Holiday Season (and most hotels are fully booked anyway.)

Our cheapo-trick was:  Fly “through” 31st and land on 1st — hotels are cheaper (and you find some empty rooms) as most people checkout on 1st or 2nd. And I won’t have to convince you that flights are also way cheaper as in…who want’s to spend New Year inside an airplane anyway?

»The only thing I wish we would have done before coming to Australia – research!!«

I would have bet my underwear on the fact Sydney has a “coast” straight and beachy as in ‘Gold Coast Beach’-beachy.  (Which unfortunately was not. It is more like mini beaches all over + harbors and ports + mini islands etc.  kinda cute I’d say, but definitely no Florida-Beach-Feeling.)

Another unexpected thing was the fact that in Japan, reports about the ongoing bush-fires haven’t come through [they tend to go global only if the country is directly concerned] anyway, having booked everything – my friend sends me the “bring masks” message.  Karma seems to love us, though, as in the end our trip was a mere blessing in disguise ↔ The country definitely was on fire, and the first few hours my eyes were burning, but except a constant BBQ-smell in the air (plus canceled trips to Blue Mountains) we were lucky enough to have the right wind, which at least kept some of the Smog out of the city. We even had a chance to catch some totally blue sky at Manly Beach ^²

Back to the -research- topic. We went zero prep and ended up dropping some bricks on the way, which you will not if you keep on reading 🙂

• Riding the train is basically cheap BUT boarding at Dom. Airport will cost you 15 A$ more!  for ONE STATION  ⇔ low budget tip:  walk to -Mascot- , 15-20 min, and start your trip to town from there.
• There is NO “day” ticket (they do exist but it’s a complicated system you have to get into deeper -only- if you wanna ride the train to Blue Mountains i.e., where the so called “opal card” is mandatory)
• You won’t need much cash, as 99% of the town as the –touch & go– credit card scanner (no signing, no typing in numbers)  very convenient → still, do get some, as the bills and coins [are quite heavy but] make a great souvenir)
• You might want to check amenities your hotel offers BEFORE deciding to travel with hand-luggage only [ our “Ibis Budget” offered soap and towels only ! Hairdryer was for rent, but the rest….]  → …and you definitely wanna check if the windows can be OPENED [we couldn’t, so I got sick on our way back home because of the air-conditioning I wasn’t used to]
• You might not need an adapter as most hotels and areas (airports) offer USB charging – saves you some weight on your trip
• Buying the “Hop on/off” Busticket ONLINE is 10% OFF !  (we recommend the 2-day ticket, which includes a tour and unlimited ferry rides for 1 day → it is actually valid 48h ! e.g. hop on a bus at 15pm and you still can use it even after checkout (hotel) on the 3rd day)
• Don’t be afraid to enter “shady looking” convenient stores or cafes/bistros. Contrary to the image they have in my home country, the owner/staff are so damn friendly and we didn’t feel uncomfortable –at all–
• Be prepared for a long wait and thorough check at the airport – even you travel with hand-luggage only.  !! Look the passport stamp guy IN! THE! EYE! [they write letters onto your ticket which seems to be a category for your –possible danger– level. I got graded “dogs sniffing” non-suspicious “western” person (which is the lightest and smoothest) my hubs reaction was too slow + asian nationality //bam// he had to wait and his luggage was scanned one more time [the worst scenario is, they let you open everything and go through all your stuff] ⇔ On the other hand – the country/city felt safe – I didn’t think about someone stealing my purse or felt threatened by certain alleys. Not 1 second.

Back to the story; we arrive and after the above mentioned thorough checkup we left the gate (felt like leaving prison, somehow) and took the airport shuttle [T-Bus] right at the exit on the right. This bus takes you to the domestic airport, where most “airport” hotels are located. The area felt “airport-ish” ~duh~ (DHL, Taxis, Hotels, huge highway) and not as welcoming  as I thought, but riding the subway is easy and brings you into town within 15min [↑ remember not to take the subway starting at the -airport- station, unless you want to pay 15 bucks for 1 station ]

»I do try to leave the smoke-smog problem out of the picture as you hopefully are smart enough to not visit during bush-fire season (and I pray, it won’t be as horrible as in 2019, ever again. )«

As our trip to Blue Mountains was not possible, we decided to get the Hop-on/off Bus-ticket. It is actually a 48h ticket and a great way to explore the city. We did the full “cycle” to decide which areas are interesting for us, creating our own “sightseeing route“.

If you buy the slightly more expensive ticket you will have a 24h unlimited ferry ride included – and I will drop dead, if you have  “Manly Beach“² not on your list. [ Important: LAST ferry BACK to mainland is at 16h-ish. So you want to start early around 10am, to walk around a little bit, grab a bite or coffee, enjoy the beach and get back in time – if not, you are stuck OR have to pay one of the other ferries which are not included in your free ride ticket (!)

Last but not least a short list of things you def. shouldn’t miss:

• Harry’s Cafe and Wheels ^³ – delicious pies and frys (which are called “chips” – edible history you might say)  [ FOOD is NOT TAXED – even shopping in one of the larger supermarkets feels so budget-friendly.  I dare to say horrendously cheap – in case you come from Japan, where we live the opposite → small portions for double the money.]
• Check out the Opera House and Harbor the same day you ride the ferry (very close by)

All in all, what struck me most (and made me fall in love with this city) is one fact:  SIMPLICITY. Everything is kept so logically simple and thus makes it stress free. Escalators, Elevators, Ticket Machines, Waste Bins, Toilets…..scarce but always there when you need them – including a simply explanation so we didn’t feel lost nor had to ask someone, not ONCE.

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P.s. to enter the country, you need to apply for a entry VISA online. Depending on your country of “passport” (not the one you are coming from!) you have different options. But usually it’s some clicks and – at least in our case (korean/german)– we got our approval within 24h.

¹Sydney, Australia^[NSW – New South Wales ] Wikipedia Info here
³Harry’s Cafe de Wheels [ Wesite ]^

 

Travel – Chiba Nihonji Mt. Nokogiri

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Working on our bucket list for this year (which is coming to an end way too soon, again) we did a rent-a-car trip to one Nihon-ji Temple¹ at Mt. Nokogiri (presenting one of the biggest Buddha statues you might see in Japan.) Though, not the statue itself was on the list per se, but driving on Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line. Which is why I decided to divide this trip into 2 posts → read on for Aqua-Line here.

If you do the rent-a-car version of this trip (which is more than a recommendation) you might want to stop at the GUSTO (family restaurant) located right next to the ferry-port (not crowded and great -sea-view) as –attention– there are no convenient stores near the temple and you better charge yourself with some energy before climbing all those stairs. [of course you can bring your own food or Bento]

 

After charging your batteries you are ready to drive to the (free of charge!) parking area on the east-side of the mountain. [Side note: there is another entrance area plus rope-way near the station – but it might not be accessible yet, due to typhoon damage in October 2019]  Even on a beautiful Sunday afternoon the place wasn’t crowded at all (though the streets were, so people where around for sure) and all you have to do is climb stairs only. The huge 31m-tall Buddha statue as well as the temple building itself is located right after the entrance, so in case you’re not a fan of stairs, you still get to see what’s advertised.

If you are more into –breathtaking views– and –mysterious caves– an maybe want to “peek into hell” you should follow the others and reach to the top.

Not only the way up the 330m high Mt. Nokogiri is breathtaking. So is its view  → on clear days you can even see Tokyos Skytree and Mt. Fuji !
As for “Jigoku Nozoki” – peeking down a steep cliff (right into hell – they say)  asks for some 10min patience to be able to take your pictures, as people wait in line (japanese style).

 

After that it’s time for another hidden gem – Hyaku-Shaku* Kannon² – a carved Goddess (nearly as tall as the Buddha you saw downstairs.)  Walking over moss-covered stones, musty air combined with chilly steep rock walls towering up on both sides of you – give this statue quite the “religous” touch.

As previously mentioned a big part of the other area you could explore is actually still closed due to Typhoon damage in October 2019 [thus, your way down is on the same side which you came up.] Before leaving the premises, though (they close at 5pm!) take a detour and look around the temple premises – there’s a path through the forest (leading downhill to the station – which is the only thing you miss when coming by car) some shrines and maybe you even discover the hidden fox statute like we did.

 

After an exhausting day you might be lucky and catch one of the most beautiful (and longest) sunsets you might see in and around Tokyo. As you drive along the coast back towards the bridge, letting this day come to an end – pure satisfaction.

 

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¹Nokogiri Nihon-Ji [ 鋸山 日本寺 ] Wikipedia Info here
²Hyaku Shaku Kanno [百尺観音]: Website (english)

³Kamata – more infos here
*1 Shaku – the length between bamboo nods (about 30cm)

Travel – Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line

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Working on our bucket list for this year (which is coming to an end way too soon, again) we did a rent-a-car trip to one of the biggest Buddha statues you might see in Japan. Though, not the statue itself was on the list per se, but driving on Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line¹. Which is why I decided to divide this trip into 2 posts  → read on for Nihonji-Temple here.

As you might know Tokyo has this rather shallow Bay (about 40m deep), that covers a big part of Chiba on the east side and Kawasaki/Tokyo area on the west side. And just by watching the map you naturally think ⇒ hey, they should build a bridge to get from Kawasaki to Chiba (left-right connection)

[click here for more technical info and source of picture]

Well, as you can see, they did that – in 1989 to be exact – finishing only 8 years later in 1997. And now you can drive through a 10km long tunnel followed by a 4.5km long bridge to get from left to right – the “Tokyo Bay Aqua Line” [aka “Tokyo Wan Expressway“]. You basically replay the Arielle Story by car, driving –under the sea– towards right above it ⇒ [fun fact: it’s the 4th longest underwater tunnel worldwide and reduces the ride from 1.5h to 15min only]

Definitely stop in the middle – the visible “knot” transition between bridge and tunnel – Umihotaru² (Sea firefly). It’s a ship-shaped Parking/Rest Area covering 5 floors, with coffee shops, restaurants, toilets (of course) as well as a game center (which would be a waste of time) as the breath taking views of both shorelines are waiting for you outside. You are basically standing in the middle of the sea and get 360° views you usually have to pay big money for (expensive tours or ferry rides.)

If you do the Chiba temple day-trip you could stop there for a short pee-pause during the day, and come back at night for a longer visit. As, especially on clear late autumn nights, the view is worth its 2300 yen you pay for driving (one way) on the highway itself (it’s cheaper on weekends). With all those airplanes flying close above your head towards the two airports while the black ocean-water reminds you of what infinity might look like. Add your loved one to the scene and…damn this spot tickles romance out of couples that have been married for 30 years I dare to say.

Make sure you don’t miss the best part, a free “museum” like area that explains how Umihotaru and the tunnel where constructed (it features a really cool 3D-ish beamer-show in a tiny cinema and shows you part of the tunnel parts plus pictures (which make you realize how cool the place is you are actually standing on.)

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»Oh, and not to forget the “beginning” of your journey actually starts in Kawasaki’s – industrial area – a sight famous for it’s steampunk flair. It’s pretty cool to drive among old rusted pipes (factories) [during the day], while at night its illumination is the perfect ending for this perfect day ↔ I was told there are tours you can book to enjoy this nightly view of steampunk illumination without having to drive your own car.³

[click here for more technical info and source of picture]

»Sidenote: Sarushima is the only natural island in Tokyo Bay – we went there a while ago. While other “islands” were created artificially. You’ll find posts about it by searching for keywords – Odaiba – and –Yumenoshima– in my Blog.

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¹Tokyo Aqua Bay Line– [ 東京湾アクアライン ] Wikipedia info here

²Umihotaru [海ほたる]: Website (english)

³Kojo Yakei [Illumination of factories]: More info (englisch)

Health – Ikegami Honmonji Oeshiki

One of my fav. shots this year – the perfect Halloween post.

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For those of you, who are really into Temples and Shrines I recommend to visit

Ikegami HONMONJI¹ Oeshiki Festival

Honmonji is of the biggest temples in Tokyo as well as one of the most important ones (thus this huge festival every year) : Nichiren³ died here.

It is a 30min-1h trip within Tokyo by train (note: get off Ikegami Station, last stop of Asakusa Line – and walk towards the temple, as the area has some “LA/Sanfran” flair you don’t wanna miss) If you come to see the festival itself, I’d recommend to arrive as early as 2pm – browse the area (there is lots to see!), have some snack at the numerous stalls lining up at the street and definitely visit this cafe [自家焙煎椿屋珈琲 池上店]² (pricey but spacious with delicious cakes and they do have their own roast of coffee beans.) Then walk back around 4pm to get a good view (the festival starts 6pm)   → Lantern Parade from the station towards the temple [which unfortunately was cancelled due to the previous typhoon this year]

As for the temple, despite consisting of very old, large and many buildings [Halloween mode: ON] it is actually surrounded by its even huger graveyard. Thus the festival, too, is held in between tombstones; people walking through it, sitting on one, while enjoying a snack → there is even an observation deck where couples become emotional (while I kinda waited for lost souls to take over their bodies)

»Definitely a scenery you won’t experience anywhere else in Tokyo – and all you game-designers out there, THIS is your place for inspiration.

And even you can’t visit for the festival – it is a nice day-trip anyway. As I mentioned above, we recommend to walk towards the temple from Asakusa-line (Nishi-Magome Station) as the city has to offer a certain “American VIP” feeling. Hills with great view over the neighbor city combined with luxurious –rich people– houses. (in European eyes still “tiny” but well, this is Tokyo after all.)  Add the cafe which I also mentioned above and choose a (less-scary) afternoon – and voilá – nice non-spooky memory →

P.s.

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¹Ikegami Honmonji^– [ 池上本門寺 ] Very detailed website here and some info in englisch here
²Coffee Chain – Ikegami Store- [自家焙煎椿屋珈琲 池上店]: Website (japanese)

³Nichiren Buddhism – more infos here

Travel – Kuruma Castle Ruins

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One more of our –spontaneous trips– like we did last time to [Tottori] and [Atami]. This time to something a normal tourist wouldn’t get to so easily → even we had trouble to find  KURUMA¹ city . A remote village with this unique 1-kanji name [車].

It is a 1-day Trip (maxed out) from Tokyo (note: 2-3h by car – read here for info regarding the speed/distance relation problem in Japan) but if you are interested in hidden castle ruins and curious eyes that might not have expected to see a foreigner today, then read on 🙂

The ruins of Kuruma Castle⁴ are located on top of a tiny hill, surrounded by a small forest. Accessible only by foot. (Dev. bring closed walking shoes even on a hot summer day. Forest = “mushi” (bugs bugs buuugs)
When you drive off the highway, your navigation system will lead you further into a tiny village and the more you feel lost, the closer you get → the road ends at a private house/field. Find a parking spot on the left side (meadow), make your way around the house and you will see this tiny sign [ 車城跡 ] showing you the way up to the castle. After you passed a graveyard and fought your way uphill through spiderwebs and a big red gate you have arrived at your destination.

I couldn’t find much information in English. But to make a long story short:

»Roughly 800 years ago (around 1300) some person built this castle and it was later transferred to a military guy [“names” at that time were an honor, thus they offered him the name of this town “kuruma” – simultaniously making this “kuruma castle”] . «

There’s also not much left of the “castle” either. But you can enjoy a rebuilt shrine (original was lost in fire) and some ancient pillars surrounded by ear-bursting loud cricket cries and mysterious-green nature. [ you’ll never stop learning, too. Especially when a huge 20cm grasshopper thing attacks you ↔ hajimemashite “Acrida Cinerea“² ]

→ sidenote: I’m not sure about access in winter, but as for a random late-summer weekend day it was zero crowded and fairly easy accessible…. except spiders, that freaked me out [→Tip: bring a big umbrella, using it as a shield to fight your way through the webs.]

P.s. We recommend to bring some snacks or bento and go for a late lunch AFTER checking out the castle. Those highway-stops usually serve local flavors/souvenirs you don’t wanna miss.

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¹Kuruma Castle^– [ 車城跡 ] For location (map) click here
²”Ghost Grasshopper” [精霊蝗虫]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrida_cinerea

⁴Castle Info^– Only Japanese available  here

Travel – Atami

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Finally, finally, finally I was able to convince my hubs to do a –spontaneous trip– like we did last time to [Tottori]. This time a bit closer, though – could be even a convenient 1-day trip from Tokyo →  ATAMI¹ (1.5/2h by train)

As my one and only goal was to put feet onto sand and get this beach-feeling (sidenote: Japan has many shoreline, but not as much beach as you’d expect) anyway, I didn’t expect much and exactly this was the reason for great surprises.

If you start as early as 9am you arrive for lunch. Perfect timing. The station looks like any other in Japan, so we recommend to skip those restaurants and take a short walk to the beach area first. There you’ll find downtown houses and hidden restaurants – thus, less crowded, less pricey and I’d even dare to say more tasty.
We went to Atami Gyouza⁴, a time travel to the past, with great “vintage” interior and handmade gyouza/ramen. If you’re lucky you won’t have to wait long to get in.

With a full stomach you could go check out the famous statue of Ozaki³. This scene especially amused my husband (and others see the depression of woman) – but the story is quite sad.

»A couple swore love to each other; later on she told him she (was forced to) chose another rich guy because of his money. So this scene depicts the last moment, where she broke up with him and he got angry, like “you stupid woman chose shiny diamonds over real love“. He later on became a greedy mental as money was the thing he lost his love for and thus he was convinced that’s the only real thing that counts in this world.« (Kinda interesting to see that hundreds of years ago, couples suffered the same problems as we do now…somehow.)

Now to the best part. If you want some action and FujiQ roller coaster Adrenalin-adventure….stay in line for one of the yellow tourist buses² to head up to the castle. (Red colored -time- means there’s a Japanese guide on board telling you stuff about what you see)  From the beach, the castle [which actually is just something a rich guy built to attract tourists in the 1950’s] looks like “yeah, it’s up on a hill” — but riding the bus, I’m telling you…it scares the shit out of you, especially when 200% packed full (with no free centimeter left) and switching gears on a 70% steep slope.
Your trip back (taking the same bus) includes a stop at the rose-garden (which we didn’t see but might be worth to visit according to reviews) anyway, again the bus stop is located on a steep 70% downward gradient -, right..you feel like being stuck in one of those roller coasters that stop shortly before reaching the peak…..and then if you survived this, the actual tour goes back -downhill-   holy-moley I am used to mountains but that was an adventure I’d not expect.
→ sidenote: there’s a rope-way in case you chicken-out.

Visiting the castle will strip you off some bucks, which is why we didn’t enter (as it is not a -real- castle anyway), but it’s still a great free view over the city as you can see on our pictures. Plus, there’s a cafe if you wanna take a break and simply enjoy the view.

Then it’s already time for check-in (in case you stay overnight). There are many hotels but – as so often in Japan – they are moldy and old (even advertised as -new- they do not look like they do on web pictures, so you might want to check carefully where you stay.)

The one I def. can and want to recommend is  “Hotel Resorpia Atami Shizuoka” – huge and yes, -older-, but the (only?) one with all rooms on sea front view and laaaarge balcony [not recommended if you are bothered by wave-sound, though.]  If you have ever stayed in even expensive hotels you know how small Japan can be. So the actual size of this place was amazing! I wish I could stay there for longer [secret sea-lover’s heartbeat rising] Also a funny touch is the actual –entrance– is connected through the 8th floor, made me feel a little bit like in Hong Kong.

(As for cleanliness – there are stains and stuff which simply appear on Tatami and carpet after a while, but the bathroom (with a jacuzzi-like bubble bath function) was mold-free (I’m allergic and can tell for sure) as well as clean bed and room (my husband has dust allergy and could tell, if something was wrong on this part.)

The only sad part is that Japan doesn’t care much (and doesn’t have the money – since the ’90s bubble-burst) about it’s appearance. They are focused on the “inside“, having onsen, restaurant and party rooms included in larger facilities. So the “looks” of this town is as in any other -nearby the sea- — rusty and worn down. I miss Italy where cities do have a “nightlife” to enjoy outside on hot, sunny, summer-days.

But nonetheless. If you are fed up of sticky summer in Tokyo (or nearby areas) take a day off and enjoy some luxury weekend in Atami. With a good book in your hands and cheap food at Jonathan’s (Family restaurant) it’s one of the cheapest “luxury” you can get for a weekend trip. (Though my trip-rule #1 for food is “close to the sea = sushi)

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¹Atami^– Read more details about it here

²YuYu Loop Bus^ – click to discover Atami right away

³Ozaki Koyo Statue^– located here, [Diamond ni me ga kurami – blinded by diamonds]

⁴Gyouza^– Follow this  Link

Health – Tamagawa Sakura

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So 2019. Too hot, too cold, too rainy or too windy.  Sakura basically bloomed and died right away or didn’t bloom at all. Most weekends were rainy, which made this date-day my only chance to catch a last glimpse of pink petals.

We usually try to travel a larger distance than the usual 30min ride. Exploring areas, we haven’t been before. This time – Tamagawa River– [ Tamagawadai Park ]

One of the larger parks right next to Tamagawa Station³. It does have nice Sakura Trees and a tiny waterfall as well as many possibilities to sit down and enjoy a nice view over the whole –skyscraper free- riverside (while munching on your snacks you definitely should bring) As everywhere in Japan, it tends to get crowded on weekends.

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¹Tamagawadai ^ [多摩川台公園 near Tama River]    more Sakura posts  [ 2015/2016] [2017/2018]