The “newest” JR station
My first opportunity to see the newest station to be added in Tokyo. Takanawa Gateway station is one station past Shinagawa Station on both the Yamanote (JY26) and the Keihin-Tohoku (JK21) lines.
JNTO Blog Post - Check!
My first blog post for JNTO. I decided to talk about using the overnight ferry service Orange Ferry in December 2022. My posts are split up into two parts as I wanted to retain the essence of “Part 1 - To Catch a Ferry” and also “Part 2 - Riding Aboard the Orange Ferry”.
A prototype or things to be?
I know that I was supposed to continue in chronological order of my latest trip to Japan in December 2022 but its hard not to want to jump ahead and talk about the ‘geekiest thing’ on this trip. Every since I heard about a ‘life sized’ original Gundam that could move and that it was there for a limited time, I knew I had to go check it out.
To catch a ferry . . .
What if I told you that there is a non-traditional way of traveling around Japan using an overnight ferry service, would you try it?
That is exactly what I did on this trip. My next stop was Kyoto and although there are many ways to go there, the most interesting option was to take an overnight ferry service from Ehime to Osaka.
Iyo - Matsuyama Castle
Japan and castles, there are so many of them, but probably this isn't going to be the first one that everyone thinks of but it should in my opinion. Not to be confused with the other Matsuyama Castle in Okayama, this one is in Ehime Prefecture where I visited in December 2022. It is probably my new favourite castle of Japan due to its scale, beauty of the architecture and its grounds.
Dogo Onsen Shopping Arcade
I just wanted to separate this post from the original Dogo Onsen post as it was getting a little long. The area is like a mini onsen resort town as there are hotels, restaurants and souvenir stores for those staying in the area.
Dogo Onsen
One of the major attractions of Matsuyama is going to be Dogo Onsen. With a history that spans hundreds of years, the building is going to need renovations every now and then. The main building is still open for bathing but the other rooms are closed. There is also 'Asuka no Yu' which is quite beautiful as well.
Matsuyama Iyotetsu Tram Pass
Iyotetsu (short for Iyotetsu Kabushiki Gaisha) or Iyo Railway Co. Ltd is the only transit operator in Matsuyama. You will not miss their distinctive orange colours. I decided that it would be convenient to get a digital pass instead of a physical pass as it would save me some money but I almost regretted that decision. Technology is great when it works but when it doesn’t it can be frustrating.
Next stop, Matsuyama
Matsuyama was the next stop on this trip in 2022. It is one of the four Prefectures in Shikoku which is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. I wanted to go Matsuyama because I wanted to see Dogo Onsen and also Matsuyama Castle. Later, I found out that there is an overnight passenger ferry service to Osaka which sounded intriguing and thought it would be a fun experience.
Miyakojima bridges (over trouble waters?)
Miyakojima’s bridges is one of the things that drew me to go visit in December 2022. There are some impressive site lines for panoramic photography. Also, depending upon the timing and orientation, sunrise and sunset photos with them look amazing.
Tokyo Haneda Airport Terminal 2
My trip to Miyakojima in December 2022 started out with an early morning trip to Haneda Airport Terminal 2. Normally, I don’t go to this airport as it handles domestic flights. It was interesting to see all of the Christmas decorations in the building including the reconstruction from the remains of an ancient civilization performing the Christmas play ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare.
Tackling Miyakojima - III
Day 3 was the last day I would be visiting Miyakojima so this was my last morning to create a sunrise time lapse. My top two places that I wanted to go to see today was Makiyama Observatory and 17 End. The day's forecast was supposed to be sunny but when I stepped outside; it was cold and super windy.
Tackling Miyakojima - II
Day 2 started out early as I wanted to take a time lapse of the sun rising behind the lighthouse at Higashihennazaki. I had also planned on checking out the ‘bottom’ portion of Miyakojima that spanned between Higashihennazaki to Kurima Island. The only problem was that when I went outside at 530 am it was raining.
Tackling Miyakojima - I
My first day was really only a half day. I arrived just before noon from Tokyo, needed to sort out my rental car and check out where my hotel is located. After that, I needed to get some food and checked out Nishihennazaki, Ikema Island (‘Heart Rock’) and Sunset Beach. I especially wanted to go to Sunset Beach to create a time lapse video of the sunset as the conditions were perfect today.
HOTEL R9 ‘The Yard’ Miyakojima
I don’t normally talk about hotels or accommodations in Japan in my social media or blog posts. The main reason for where I stay is: price, comfort, convenience and distance to where I wanted to go. Hotel R9 ‘The Yard’ Miyakojima definitely checked all of those boxes and was a unique experience that I wanted to try it out.
Getting around Miyakojima
I am going to be perfectly honest. I had a lot of anxiety before this trip that I almost did not go. In Japan, the driver side is the right hand side of the car and cars travel on the left hand side of the road. This might not be a problem for those who’s country’s driving rules are similar but as an individual who doesn’t often drive while traveling in Japan, it was a big deal as this was my first time driving in Japan alone.
Bound for Miyakojima - II
Can you believe that the beautiful colours below are part of Japan? This is actually one of the first views that you will see from the airplane window as you fly over Ikema Island in Miyakojima. The flight may have been over 3 hours from Tokyo but it certainly did not feel like that.
Bound for Miyakojima - I
I am not sure how or why I wanted to go Miyakojima and not Okinawa. I guess the smaller geographic footprint, the lush greenery, the white sand, the aquamarine blue water is maybe what sold me. But first, I needed to get there. There were no late afternoon flights when I first arrived the day before so I chose an early morning direct flight as there were no layovers.