Travel Journal 2024

Today we took the regional train deep into the interior of Kyushu, specifically to the Yūtoku Inari Shrine in Kashima. This shrine is one of the three most important Inari shrines in the country.

Built in 1687, the shrine was constructed against a cliff face. The main hall stands on 18-metre-high stilts. From there, forest paths and long rows of torii gates lead up to the mountain peak, where a viewing terrace offers a panoramic view over the Ariake Sea and the town of Kashima.

Even the welcome at the shrine was impressive. Above the stairs to the main hall, there must have been thousands of wind chimes hanging, some of which rang deafeningly loud in the wind as we walked up the steps. Beautiful surprises like these are what always make our trips to Japan such a unique experience.

Fukuoka was the westernmost point of our journey. Tomorrow we’re heading back to Tokyo in several stages on the Shinkansen again. The next stop is Kobe.

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Today was another travel day. We left Fukuoka and took the Shinkansen to Kōbe. There we checked out Meriken Park and visited the observation deck of the 108-metre-high Port Tower, the city’s landmark.

Tomorrow we’re doing a day trip to a place that’s been on our wishlist for a long time and that you might not immediately associate with Japan.

Today we took the train to Tottori, a coastal town on the Sea of Japan. Japan’s biggest sand dunes are there, stretching over an area of 30km². You can hike across them on foot or even catch a ride on a camel.

The Sand Museum is right nearby. You can check out some massive sand sculptures there, which international artists make every year based on a specific theme. This year was all about the history of France. Naturally, the sculptures are made out of real Tottori sand, which is hard to believe given how massive and incredibly detailed they are.

The actual city centre of Kōbe lies between Osaka Bay and the Rokkō mountain ridge. What could be better than checking out the whole region from way up high? That’s exactly what we did today.

First, we took the funicular up Rokkō. From there, we hopped on a bus to an observation deck on Mount Maya. The panoramic view from up there over the greater Kōbe and Ōsaka area is just mind-blowing and hard to put into words. Only then do you really realise what massive metropolises these cities actually are.

After a quick detour to Maya-san Tenjō-ji, we took a cable car and another funicular back down into the city. After sunset, we snapped a few nice shots of Meriken Park and the Earthquake Museum.

Our last day in Kōbe started with a harbour cruise. After that we checked out the Sōrakuen landscape garden, where the first signs of autumn colours were already showing.

But the highlight of the day was visiting the Nunobiki Herb Gardens. We walked to a waterfall first, before hopping on the cable car to the upper viewing platform. As luck would have it, a little German Christmas market opened up there today, with wooden figures from the Ore Mountains, mulled wine, and currywurst hotdogs. After that we sniffed our way around the attached herb garden, before heading back to the viewing platform after sunset to admire Kōbe by night.

A magical day, and it’s hard for us to say goodbye to Kōbe tomorrow. But we’re off to our next stop: Ōsaka.