For some background, David and I have lived in Tokyo before – 3 years and 5 years respectively. Being that we had already seen most of the major first time Japan travel hotspots. Kyushu was of intrigue to me because I hadn\u2019t been there before. Yakushima was a place I had wanted to visit ever since I saw the Ghibli film Princess Mononoke<\/a> (\u3082\u306e\u306e\u3051\u59eb). If you\u2019re planning to\nvisit areas where public transportation is lacking or infrequent (such as\nYakushima), obtaining an International Drivers Permit before you travel can\nmake getting around a lot easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the U.S. this is quite\neasy from your local AAA by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It took David approximately 15 minutes on a sunny Saturday in the NYC branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re from the U.S., it\u2019s also worth noting that they drive on the left hand side in Japan- when you are renting a car in Japan, if you have a US driving license you may be required to watch a quick video before you get on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Travelling in Japan by shinkansen bullet train is an experience, but it can also get expensive. The Japan Rail Pass is very useful for travelers who want to visit a few cities at a time. If you hold any sort of visa or a Japanese passport, you will NOT be eligible for the Japan Rail Pass. More information here<\/a>. We ordered our passes from JTB<\/a> and picked it up in person locally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having wifi when traveling around Japan really made our lives easier, saving time when needing to get from point A to B. Before you leave for your trip, contact your mobile carrier to find out what plans exist. If you are in the U.S.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Locations: <\/strong>Newark, Beijing (stopover), Tokyo (Shibuya hotel EN and Our two-week Japan homecoming trip started from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. For some background, We had not visited our second home for a long time. In fact, this was going to be my first time going to Japan as a tourist – meaning I can finally use the Japan Rail Pass! Hotel: Shibuya hotel EN,<\/a> 1-1 Maruyamach\u014d, Shibuya-ku, T\u014dky\u014d-to 150-0044, Japan<\/a> Restaurant: Mennobou toride<\/a> (\u9eba\u306e\u307c\u3046\u7826), 20-23 Shinsen-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo<\/a> Locations: <\/strong>Shibuya (Midori), Nakameguro, Meguro, Nishi Azabu (Mahoroba) After a wonderful night\u2019s sleep, we got up early enough to head to Sushi no Midori (\u5bff\u53f8\u306e\u7f8e\u767b\u5229) in the Shibuya Mark City building before it opened at 11am. Sometimes known as Midori sushi, I cannot stress how much I love this place. I dream of it when I’m back in NY.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They have this new EPARK ticketing system which is nice (7 years ago when I last went, you had no choice but to just line up and physically hold your spot). You need to get a ticket and be present when they call your number but it\u2019s nice to punch in your details (number of people in party, if you want to sit a the counter or table or no preference, and your phone number). We waited for about an hour before we got seated. But once we did, we gorged on sushi. We each got a sushi set for \u00a52800\/pp and we added on whale, aburi (flambeed) engawa, and some premium uni. This was an absolute delight. The set also came with some chawan mushi and a delectable salad with kanimiso instead of dressing. I was in heaven. Our sushi set had normal uni but that additional premium \u6975\u4e0auni was so creamy and delicious. Aburi engawa, one of my favorite pieces of nigiri sushi, was just as good as I remembered. The botan ebi was another delicious piece. Surprisingly good was the nama shirasu, \u751f\u3057\u3089\u3059 (little raw whitefish). I was so happy with this set. Tasted good with some beer and the sushi feast set us back around \u00a59500 in total. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave and I then took a walk around memory lane in our old haunts. We thought it might rain so we walked to Nakameguro and Meguro river. We felt so fortunate to see the tail end of sakura \/ hanami season- especially since full bloom \u6e80\u958balready occurred over the weekend. It was beautiful to walk along the river lined with sakura trees. It was a Monday as well, so a lot less crowds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Later that evening, we went for dinner at Mahoroba (\u307e\u307b\u308d\u3070) in Nishi Azabu. Mahoroba is a yakitori place which is in a jazzy cocktail bar. It was a bit of a strange atmosphere. The best items were the uni on top of chicken neck wrapped in seaweed. Also the tamago kake gohan with uni. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Restaurants: <\/strong>Sushi no Midori<\/a> (\u5bff\u53f8\u306e\u7f8e\u767b\u5229), Japan, \u3012107-6302 T\u014dky\u014d-to, Shibuya-ku, D\u014dgenzaka, 1-ch\u014dme\u221212\u22123 \u30de\u30fc\u30af\u30b7\u30c6\u30a3\u30a4\u30fc\u30b9\u30c84F<\/a> Mahoroba<\/a> (\u307e\u307b\u308d\u3070), 4 Chome-10-1 Nishiazabu Minato-ku Tokyo-to\u6771\u4eac\u90fd <\/a>\u6e2f\u533a <\/a>\u897f\u9ebb\u5e03 <\/a>4-10-1 \u30e9\u30dd\u30fc\u30c8\u897f\u9ebb\u5e03 3F Locations: <\/strong>Tokyo (Yoyogi, Harajuku, Aoyama, Roppongi, Ginza, Shinjuku)<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might start to notice a trend, Dave and I love to walk everywhere (partially, it\u2019s also due to my obsession with the fitbit step count). We trekked over to Yoyogi Park<\/a> – It was nice to see sakura blossoms without droves of tourists, like the previous day. We then walked through Takeshita dori and Jingumae. Stunning. Afterwards, we ended up in Roppongi Hills. We went to Mori Tower<\/a> for old time\u2019s sake. The observatory on the 52F was just as we had remembered. The day was so clear, it was perfect for seeing Mt Fuji. We then walked through the modern art museum<\/a> which had some fun and interesting exhibits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were finally craving food. There wasn\u2019t anything calling out to us in Roppongi so we hopped on the Metro to Ginza. After walking along the main strip we ended up at a casual sushi place called Fukusuke. The lunch set sushi was alright but the premium pieces (uni and hotate) were spot on delicious. Restaurants: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fukusuke<\/a>, 10F Ginza Trecious, 2-6-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Akebono, <\/a>\u6771\u4eac\u90fd\u4e2d\u592e\u533a\u9280\u5ea75-7-19<\/a> Warayakiya<\/a> Japan, \u3012160-0022 T\u014dky\u014d-to, Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku, 3-ch\u014dme\u221215\u221211 \u30a2\u30c9\u30db\u30c3\u30af\u65b0\u5bbf\u30d3\u30eb8F<\/a> Mura<\/a> \u3012150-0046 \u6771\u4eac\u90fd\u6e0b\u8c37\u533a\u677e\u6d9b1-29-2 B1 <\/a> Location: <\/strong>Yakushima (Yakusugiland<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had to wake\nup at 4:05am (…3 hours of sleep!) in order to catch our 6:25am flight to\nKagoshima, which then connects to Yakushima. Unfortunately, no trains were\nrunning during that hour. Also, it was raining hard. We managed to grab a taxi\noutside. We took the highway (extra \u00a52000) and the short cab ride from Shibuya\nto Haneda came out to be a whopping \u00a510,000!<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing to note about Yakushima is to take out enough cash before coming here. We did not do this beforehand and on our last day when we were getting low on cash, there were no ATMs around and doing a search indicated that the only place that had one was the Japan Post<\/a>. Most places aside from the local supermarket we found, do not take credit card (even at the gas station, our U.S. credit cards did not work). Before going to Yakushima, we read about renting equipment from sport stores on the island. Since Dave and I were planning to pack very light (we had a carry-on suitcase for a two week trip), we decided to bring the minimum needed and if we needed anything extra we would rent it. I think that if we were to start a hike very early in the morning when it was still dark, a hat with a light on it might prove useful but we always hiked when there was daylight. We also did not use hiking poles (they would be pretty useful though if you want to move quickly), and we didn\u2019t buy a guidebook. We also didn\u2019t use any guide services. Our hotel room was nice- it was huge, and included a tatami room. The downside was that there was no shower in the room. The shared bath (separate for men and women) had an outdoor bath \u9732\u5929\u98a8\u5442which is always delightful but it\u2019s a little bit of a pain not having the option to shower in your own room. We had bought some yakushima shochu (which is what it\u2019s supposed to be famous for) from the little supermarket we found but it really didn\u2019t taste that great. Yakusugi Land, Japan, \u3012891-4311 Kagoshima-ken, Kumage-gun, Yakushima-ch\u014d, Anbo<\/a> Hotel: Jomon no Yado Manten<\/a>, \uff18\uff11\uff12\u2212\uff13\uff13 Koseda, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4207, Japan<\/a> Restaurant: Kagoshima Horumon Yakiniku<\/a>, \u9e7f\u5150\u5cf6\u770c \u718a\u6bdb\u90e1\u5c4b\u4e45\u5cf6\u753a \u5bae\u4e4b\u6d66 378 <\/a> Locations:<\/strong> Yakushima (Shiratani Unsuikyo<\/a>)Hike Difficulty: Difficult (for the Bugyousugi course & Takoiwa) We originally intended to go on the famed and well-worn trail to see Jomon Sugi<\/a> (the oldest and largest ancient Yakusugi\/Japanese cedar, possibly in the world). Jomon Sugi is supposedly 2170-7200 years old (the tree is hollow, making it difficult to carbon date). From research, this isn\u2019t supposed to be a difficult hike and people of all ages can do this hike. When we arrived, we had asked the hotel to prepare a breakfast onigiri bento and a lunch bento thinking we will do this 10-12hr hike starting from 5:30am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once we got into the car at\n5:30am we disappointingly realized that you had to have gotten a ticket to get\non the bus to the Arakawa Trail leading to Jomon Sugi. This procedure was\nenacted to control the congestion of visitors going on this trail, and you\ncannot just decide to drive up there without a ticket. Since it was already 6am\nby the time we discovered this information, we couldn\u2019t even take any more\nbuses on this trail since the schedule we found online only seemed to say buses\nran until 6:30am. So this would be a good piece of information to note if you\nwant to see Jomon Sugi!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We headed to Shiratani\nUnsuikyo instead (we were supposed to do this hike on our last day). We arrived\nat the parking area and scarfed down the delicious breakfast onigiri bento\nprepared by our hotel. We were able to start hiking at 6:47am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shiratani Unsuikyo is famous for the kogemusu no mori (Moss covered forest), which was inspiration for the movie Princess Mononoke. This was exciting, considering that Princess Mononoke was the first Ghibli film I watched, and in my environmental science class in High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This hike was the most memorable of my trip here in Yakushima. Since we had all day, we opted to take the longest route (Taiko-iwa) and we did ALL of the possible detours to see the many ancient sugi trees including Yayoi Sugi which is 3000years old. Every step of the way was beautiful- mossy stones and tree stumps give the forest a mystical feel. No picture I took was able to convey the \u201calive\u201d feeling I got when looking at the scenery. My imagination kept turning the inanimate objects into live creatures. It\u2019s really stunning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To our luck, there were barely any people on the trail going there despite this being the second most popular trail. Plus, there was no rain. We had the moss covered forest to ourselves for a while. In terms of difficulty this was fairly difficult for non-experienced hikers like Dave and myself. I\u2019m glad we brought our own waterproof hiking boots. We didn\u2019t use hiking sticks which slowed us down a bit but it was nice not to have to rent them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From the start of the entrance we opted for the challenging\nbugyousugi course which contained many ancient sugi trees. This was actually by\naccident as we thought it would be the easier way to get to taikoiwa. This\nroute was the most un-tamed and we only ran into one other hiker along the way.\nThere was a lot of up and down and climbing over slippery rocks as well as\ncrossing four streams (one of which Dave fell into and got his boots fully\nsubmerged under water and caught between rocks) but was so peaceful and we had\nthe forest completely to ourselves. Luckily Dave was carrying the wet bag\nbecause part of it went into the stream too. He was thankfully not hurt when\nslipping off the slippery rock). It was rewarding course overall. Taikoiwa was\nmore rewarding. You hike up to a huge rock at the top of the mountain 1070m,\nrevealing the most beautiful and breathtaking overview of Yakushima. Combined\nwith the beauty of the moss forest, you see everything and feel challenged by\nthe hike. The waterfall close to the entrance is pretty as well. We did every\ncourse which we finished up at 1:23pm (inclusive of eating a leisurely lunch at\n11:17am) <\/p>\n\n\n\n There was also a trail (called tsuji toge path) at the path to Taikoiwa which leads out of the Shiratani Unsuikyo to the arakawa trail to see Jomon Sugi which is supposed to be difficult. It takes 12hours round trip which we weren\u2019t sure we would make in a timely manner so we opted out. Glad we did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We made it back to the hotel and got cleaned up. To spend the next hours of daylight we decided to get in the car and go to the Seibu rindo pass<\/a>, which is a driving path on the west part of the island through UNESCO protected forest. It\u2019s famous for spotting monkeys and deer. We set out at around 4:30pm knowing sundown would be 6:42pm. Driving to the west part of the island took about 58 minutes along narrow roads but it was worth it. We spotted about 8 monkeys and 4 deer despite the rainy weather. We actually weren\u2019t supposed to be in the pass between 5pm-7am but did not realize it until we got out of the path. This meant though, that we couldn\u2019t turn back to return to Anbo port, we had to circle the entire island to get back to our area. So that\u2019s what we did!<\/p>\n\n\n\n For dinner we intended to go to iso no Kaori<\/a> which was closed until the 12th randomly. Then we went to an izakaya \u82e5\u5927\u5c06 wakadaisho which was too full. The other two restaurants on the same street were also full. (Wow where were all these people on the trails?) we opted for another restaurant closeby called Kakureka\u96a0\u308c\u5bb6. Not bad, very simple. They had a dish called ninja yakisoba which was pork, japanese mayo, and roasted nori strips on top. The yakisoba noodles were bouncy in texture. We also tried kuruma ebi (caught fresh from their tank in the restaurant) which was like \u00a5800 for one shrimp. That wasn\u2019t really worth the price. The karaage was good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We headed back to the hotel and bought a mixer of grape juice from the vending machine to mix with the shochu we bought the prior day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hike : Shiratani Unsuikyo , <\/a>Miyanoura, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4200, Japan<\/a> Scenic Drive: Seibu Rindo Pass (UNESCO), 469-45 Koseda, Yakushima-ch\u014d, Kumage-gun, Kagoshima-ken 891-4207, Japan<\/a> Restaurant:Kakureka\u96a0\u308c\u5bb6<\/a>, \u9e7f\u5150\u5cf6\u770c\u718a\u6bdb\u90e1\u5c4b\u4e45\u5cf6\u753a\u5bae\u4e4b\u6d66\uff16\uff16 <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Locations<\/strong>: Yakushima (Ohko no taki waterfall<\/a>, Banyan Tree Park<\/a>, Nagata Inakahama Beach<\/a>, Yoggo Valley), Kagoshima<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our plan today was to spend another day in Yakushima, and\nhead to Kagoshima by ferry at 16:30 (we bought these toppy jetfoil tickets\nonline before we came to Japan for vacation). Two days of hiking resulted in\nsome pretty sore muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had ordered an onigiri bento and lunch bento again from\nthe hotel (even though we weren\u2019t planning to go on anymore hikes we figured\ntheir \u00a5650 bento was cheaper than a regular lunch). After we had our breakfast,\nwe checked out before 10am. We knew we wanted to go to the Ohko no taki\nwaterfall on the west side of the island (Yakushima only has one road\nencircling the entire island- with two routes going in different directions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the way we saw a cookies shop called Mam\u2019s Kitchen. The\nShio butter cookie shaped like a turtle was freshly baked and had some\nmacadamia nuts in it. We also tried a tiny chocolate chip cookie. They both\ncost \u00a5160. We continued down the rows and came across the Banyan tree park.\nRight next door was a coffee shop named Kiina. We needed some caffeine so we\nhopped into Kiina first for black coffee. The Banyan tree park (\u5fd7\u6238\u5b50\u306e\u30ac\u30b8\u30e5\u30de\u30eb\u5712\uff09was nice in the sense where it felt like we had it to\nourselves but aside from banyan trees, nothing special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coasting along to the west coast we came across the Nagata\ninakahama beach, which we walked along on the sand. Little did I know, this is\nwhere the most sea turtles lay their eggs in the world. July-August are good\ntimes to spot sea turtles!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was almost time for lunch. We came across signs for Yoggo\nValley (\u6a2a\u6cb3\u6e13\u8c37). Sometimes one can swim in here like a pool (not today,\nthough). We sat here on the rocks and had our lunch bentos, like a picnic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The seibu rindo came up again. This time not raining, we were still able to spot more wild monkeys and deer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After that, we finally got to the Ohko no Taki waterfall. It was well worth it, a majestic waterfall it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave sped through the \u201cmonkey safari\u201d as much as possible to\nget to the Times rental miyanoura branch by 3:30pm. We also needed to fill the\ntank. On top of that we only had \u00a57000 worth of cash left as we did not take\nout additional cash before Yakushima. We asked two gas stations if they\naccepted credit cards and they did not. The third one we encountered close to\nthe rental car shop said they took credit card. But none of our cards worked in\ntheir reader. We ended up only needing \u00a53900 to fill up the take thankfully!\nThe gas station gave us a ticket\/receipt certifying that we filled up the tank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We got a lift from the rental car area to the Ferry terminal.\nThe ferry ride from yakushima to Kagoshima was a total of 2hrs 10 minutes with\na stop in Tanegashima. We arrived in Kagoshima at 6:40pm. It was a 20 minute\nwalk from the ferry terminal to our hotel – Richmond Hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the way, we passed by a park with a great view of the\nSakurajima volcano as a backdrop. Along the way I noticed that there were many\ncolorful azalea bushes lining the sidewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We booked our super cheap room at Richmond hotel through\nagoda (around $60 all included). When we did the booking we booked a non\nsmoking double bed room. At check in they attempted to give us a tatami room\nwith two twin beds (why they always insist on giving us 2 beds I don\u2019t know)\nbut we were able to get a double room. However, the room was a smoking room\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was already fairly late. We tried to call ahead to two places that seemed to have black pork shabu but they were already full. We opted to try this black pork katsu place (it was literally black) called Kurobuta (\u9ed2\u798f\u591a). They mix charcoal with the bread crumbs to give the crust a black look- it looked like Oreo cookie crumbs. We ordered two cuts – the hire (tenderloin) and rosu (fattier pork loin). Normally the hire cut can be dry but not the special Kagoshima kurobuta. It was slightly pink looking and so, so tender. I could cut it in half with just my chopsticks. The rosu cut was not as flavorful but still delicious. We tried some other Kagoshima specialities – kibinago<\/a> (silver \u201cbait\u201d fish) sashimi which was not really that special. You do dip it in this pickled miso which was kinda interesting. The satsuma-age wasn\u2019t my favorite. It\u2019s a slightly sweet fish cake which has onion in it. The kakuni pork using this kurobuta was also outstanding, but doesnt overshadow the deliciousness of the star dish. Basically, kurobuta is Berkshire pork from England brought over 400 years ago. The Japanese feed these pigs sweet potato to give it the flavor it has. Kagoshima was filled with places specializing in this black pork. Good thing we only had one night here, otherwise we would be stuffing our faces with pork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We strolled around the Tenmonkan area which seemed to be the\nmain strip. As we exited the restaurant it suddenly became a red light district\n– flooded with salarymen haunts like hostess clubs and annai information\nplaces. And a lot of people trying to get salarymen into their clubs. We\nstrolled around a bit- tried to get a closer look at the Ferris wheel that lit\nup the night sky. We ended up at the Highball bar in Tenmonkan and had a few\ndrinks before heading back to the hotel after midnight for bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mam\u2019s Kitchen<\/a>, 1261-13 Miyanoura, Yakushima-ch\u014d, Kumage-gun, Kagoshima-ken 891-4205, Japan<\/a> Kiina Coffee Shop<\/a> , \uff11\uff18\uff11\u2212\uff19\uff17 Shitogo, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4204, Japan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Restaurant: Kurobuta<\/a> (Kagoshima), 3-2 Sennichich\u014d, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima-ken 892-0843, Japan<\/a> Bar : Highball Bar<\/a> (Kagoshima), Japan, \u3012892-0843 Kagoshima-ken, Kagoshima-shi, Sennichich\u014d, 2\u221214 \u5929\u6587\u9928\u6587\u5316\u901a\u308a\u30b0\u30eb\u30e1\u30b9\u30bf\u30fc\u30ba1\u968e<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hotel(s): Richmond Hotel,<\/a> 5-3 \u91d1\u751f\u753a Kagoshima, 892-0828, Japan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Locations:<\/strong> Mt. Aso and Beppu In planning our trip we\ndecided to rent a car to avoid having to waste time waiting for trains and\nconnecting buses (we didn\u2019t have much time). We set out to the Budget Rent a\nCar at 7:45am. It was a 26 minute walk but a nice way to stroll around\nKagoshima in our short time here. We checked the volcano conditions (daily\nupdates at 8:30am), as there are days where the fumes are too poisonous where\nvisitors aren\u2019t allowed. Conditions were looking good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From Kagoshima to Mt Aso it\nis about 3 hours. Dave drove straight there and we ate convenience store\n(conbini) onigiri in the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we arrived at Mt Aso, we\nstarted off at Nakadake crater. It was hard to see much aside from the huge\nplume of smoke. Sulfuric oxide makes up most of the gases inhaled at Mt Aso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once we reached the toll booth gate for mt Aso, there is a\nsign that says that it is a no toilet zone. But, luckily there were actually\nporterpotties there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We descended back to some of the other sightseeing points. It turns out that there are indeed hiking opportunities- there were many trekkers climbing up to see the Nakadake crater (many rocks, good thing we wore our boots). We didn\u2019t realize that it was more than 1.5 hours to get to the crater- we didn\u2019t bring enough food or water. Also we drove up to the crater earlier so really it was likely to be the same scene. After scaling rocks for 40 minutes we headed back down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Mt Aso we decided to stop for lunch in the Aso area. Aso is known for the akaushi beef. We went to a family restaurant called Yoka Yoka tei and tried the akaushi beef Donburi with a soft egg in the middle. We also had some basashi. Both were just average but, better Japanese food than what we would get in NY any day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two hours of driving later, we ended up in Beppu-\nsurprisingly more of a large city instead of a small village like place. Was not\nexpecting that. Our hotel\/ryokan was right by the Beppu tower – Umikaoru hotel\nMatsumi. We had gotten a room which has a rotenburo onsen attached to the room,\na real treat!! We were allowed to select our yukata too. (Purple for me). Once\nwe got in the room we ran the bath and hopped in. Lovely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After relaxing for a few hours, we went to dinner at \u51e1\u306e\u306f\u306a\u308c\u91b8\u3057\u5c4b(\u307c\u3093\u306e\u306f\u306a\u308c\u304b\u3082\u3057\u3084), an izakaya 10 minutes away from the hotel by walk. We tried a kabosu chuhai (Japanese citrus) which was nice. We tried some Oita\/Beppu specialties- Dangojiru (hearty soup with flat white flour noodles), ryukyu sashimi (raw fish marinated in soy sauce mirin sake and sesame seeds), and of course, toriten (chicken tempura).<\/p>\n\n\n\n We then went for a second dinner at icchome ramen- the tonkotsu was very bone brothy. Then we went back to the hotel and called it a night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Edit: We realized that on the official Mt Aso website, that they closed off viewing the crater and 1km vicinity of the volcano on 4\/14\/19. So we were so lucky to see it on the day we decided to go (4\/12\/2019)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scenic Spot : Mt. Aso, Takawara, Aso, Kumamoto 869-2223, Japan<\/a> Restaurant(s):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hotel: Umikaoru hotel Matsumi<\/a> (Beppu), 3 Chome-14-8 Kitahama, Beppu, Oita 874-0920, Japan<\/a> Locations:<\/strong> Beppu and Fukuoka<\/p>\n\n\n\n The umikaoru hotel matsumi\nincluded a lovely breakfast – we didn\u2019t bring our smartphones so we lived in\nthe moment. But it was a kaiseki style 9 compartmentalized breakfast bento with\nsome grilled fish, rice, and a clam soup broth. Very satisfying. The Mentaiko\nwas particularly delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At 9:30am after checkout we decided to go to the Shoningahama Seaside Sand bath (\u7802\u6e6f). Thinking there wouldn\u2019t be much of a wait, I was shocked it was 1hr wait. The entrance fee is 1030\/pp and an extra 350\/pp for a bath towel. While waiting, we dipped our feet into a foot bath which was extremely hot. Finally they called our number. First you change into a yukata. Then you go outside to a sand pit. There are people shoveling holes into the sand and you lie down. Then they pile more sand on top. It felt heavy and warm. We laid there for 15 minutes. After the time is up, we shake off the sand and rinse it all off in the shower room. It was refreshing and I felt warm all over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next we decided to go to the Takasaki Monkey Park which was also very close by. Didn\u2019t think much of it- just thought it\u2019d be very commercial. But surprisingly it was quite nice. The monkeys are free to come and go- they are not confined to the park. We saw the feeding- where monkeys go crazy to get food. It was all very cute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We then made our way to\nFukuoka by car. Fukuoka was a little under two hours away but it was rainy so\nit took a little longer than expected. After a stressful car journey we managed\nto make it to the Budget rental car center to return the car in the tenjin\narea. We then walked 20 minutes to our hotel- Canal City Fukuoka Washington.\nFukuoka is surprisingly (\u2026or not so surprising) a big red light district.\nSoaplands, adult information booths were everywhere. Something about it seemed\nmore unabashed than the way the same stores are presented in Shibuya or\nShinjuku. We had to pass through these areas each time we arrived at Canal City\nFukuoka Washington Hotel. Our hotel was within a large shopping mall complex\n(Canal City).<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was after 5pm when we arrived. We decided to have an early ramen dinner and see if we can eat more later. It was raining so we purchased an umbrella from a Lawson next to the hotel for \u00a5700. We then realized we could have taken a cab for a similar price. We made our way to Nagahama ramen nanba wan (16 minute walk) and arrived at 5:44pm. Amazing Tonkotsu ramen\u2026 so delicious. It stopped raining so we ditched the umbrella at another conbini in the Tenjin area (main shopping district).<\/p>\n\n\n\n We then walked to mitsukoshi depachika to find the omiyage I loved eating – Hakata Toorimon (only the best manju ever). It was just as delicious as I remembered. Only got 5 pieces. Try it for yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We walked towards the\nFukuoka tower but knew it was almost 3 miles away. We passed by the Fukuoka\ncastle ruins and the park surrounding it was beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We made our way back to the\nhotel and watched a bit of the special water show (space invaders) at Canal\nCity (the water show is also visible from our hotel window!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n After relaxing at the hotel with a can of chuhai (kiwi flavored one!), at 22:00 we forced ourselves to eat another bowl of ramen- this time at Hakata Issou Nakasu branch. One bowl of the regular ramen was only \u00a5700 (ticket machines are used here). This second bowl\u2019s broth was more brothy, with the bits that normally get skimmed off. I felt it was more salty and less creamy than the prior bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Relaxation : Shoningahama Seaside Sand bath<\/a>, 9 Shoningahamacho, Beppu-shi, \u014cita-ken 874-0023, Japan<\/a> Scenic Spot : Takasaki Monkey Park<\/a>, 3098-1 Kanzaki, Oita, 870-0802, Japan<\/a> Hakata Toorimon,<\/a> 1-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0012, Japan<\/a> Restaurants:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hotel: Canal City Fukuoka Washington<\/a>, 1-ch\u014dme-2-20 Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 812-0018, Japan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Locations:<\/strong> Fukuoka and Hiroshima<\/p>\n\n\n\n We woke up early in the morning and packed quickly. We wanted to enjoy some more time in Fukuoka during the day. The weather was perfect this morning as well. No jacket weather. We went to the Hakata Station and reserved Shinkansen tickets for the Sakura 11:51am. Instead of a normal breakfast, we decided that since we were in the birthplace of the almighty tonkotsu ramen, we should have one more bowl. We walked back to Nakasu and went to the Ichiran flagship store. Third bowl of ramen within 16 hours- literally all we ate in Fukuoka. Not as special as the other two we had but, there was no line and it was nice to eat in the individual booths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe Recommend Getting these items before you go:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
International Drivers Permit<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Japan Rail Pass<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Travel Wifi \/ Pocket Wifi<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Now Onto the Itinerary… <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Day 0 : Late night arrival in Tokyo<\/a>
Day 1-2: Tokyo<\/a>
Day 3-5: Yakushima, Kagoshima<\/a>
Day 6: Mt. Aso, Beppu<\/a>
Day 7: Beppu, Fukuoka<\/a>
Day 8: Hiroshima<\/a>
Day 9: Miyajima<\/a>
Day 10-11: Okunoshima, Osaka<\/a>
Day 12: Kyoto, Tokyo<\/a>
Day 13: Tokyo<\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Day 0: Late Arrival in Tokyo<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mennobou toride<\/a> Ramen)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four months before we departed, we scored these cheap Air China<\/a> tickets from Newark to Haneda International Airport with a stopover in Beijing, China each way. They were USD514\/pp including taxes. On the way there, the layover was 2.5 hours, and coming back, it was overnight. The layover is less than ideal but for that price, it just can\u2019t be beaten.
We finally got to Haneda Airport at around 21:00 JST. Luckily, landing in Haneda as opposed to Narita Airport meant that it was just a hop and skip away to Shibuya via the Keikyu Line to the JR Yamanote Line.
By the time we got to the hotel room, it was already close to midnight. We could have just gone to bed, but being the foodies that we are, we couldn\u2019t not eat something on the first day we arrived. So, we freshened up a bit and headed out for some ramen at Mennobou toride (\u9eba\u306e\u307c\u3046\u7826). At the first taste of the broth, it brought back memories of tonkotsu and how amazing it is compared to any ramen shop in NYC. The pork was so soft and tender, and the nii tamago yolk was perfectly orange. Paired with a beer for Dave and a yuzu sour for myself, it was the perfect first late-night homecoming meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_1676-e1561515145302-1024x908.jpg?resize=640%2C568\")
The double room was tiny, but was clean, comfortable and functional. It was a bit strange to have the sink right next to the TV but it worked, space wise. The toilet \/ shower was separating the bedroom by a glass wall with Venetian blinds. One nice touch was that all of the toiletries didn\u2019t contain SLS nor parabens which was a nice touch.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A delicious choice for quality tonkotsu ramen!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Day 1: Tokyo (Japan Homecoming)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Midori](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_1723-e1561516165305-1024x604.jpg?resize=640%2C378\")
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_1780-e1561599394909-1024x566.jpg?resize=640%2C354\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Mahoroba](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_1826-e1561515741378-1024x933.jpg?resize=640%2C583\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Premium sushi quality for a reasonable price. Must order these extras: aburi engawa, botan ebi, premium uni<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unique jazzy yakitori bar; order the uni on top of grilled chicken neck<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Day 2: Tokyo<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
On our way walking to Roppongi, we stumbled upon the Aoyama Cemetery<\/a>. Morbid and borderline sacrireligious, we walked through the cemetery- which is filled with beautiful Sakura trees. Even less tourists here and very impressive amount of cherry blossoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_1854-e1561601122405-1024x960.jpg?resize=640%2C600\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_1871-e1561601495134-1024x601.jpg?resize=640%2C376\")
On our way back we came across my favorite wagashi (Japanese sweets) place, Akebono! And they had their prized ichigo daifuku. I was excited to eat one of my favorite desserts of all time. There was a limited edition \u9650\u5b9a yuzu daifuku too which I couldn\u2019t resist. The mochi was so delicate and irresistible. So good!
We had dinner at Warayakiya, an izakaya in Shinjuku specializing in food from Kochi, Shikoku with some of our Tokyo friends.
Afterwards we took the train back to Shibuya we walked around looking for a small meal. We ended up at an okonomiyaki place called Mura (\u3080\u3089) right by our hotel. We ordered a seafood okonomiyaki and a curry cheese monjayaki. Delicious and simple- cooked it ourselves like the okonomiyaki experts we are. Oh, the best part was that it was \u00a53020 for two pancakes, and two Chu hai (shochu mixed drinks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_1918.jpg?resize=640%2C480\")
If you are here during the spring\/summer, the ichigo daifuku (fresh strawberry wrapped in a thin layer of red bean paste and an outside layer of mochi) is the best I\u2019ve tried<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Japanese izakaya featuring regional food from Shikoku. This is great for large parties<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cheap and delicious late night DIY okonomiyaki<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\nYakushima Preparation Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Day 3: Yakushima (Home of the Ancient Cedar Trees)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We did get to the airport at around 5, when the check in desks were just opening. While waiting at the gate, Dave did 10 minutes at a massage chair for \u00a5200. We ate a katsusando from maisen and an onigiri each. The barely filled flight to Kagoshima via JAL<\/a> was nice. Then, in Kagoshima there was only a short wait to get on our next flight. The flight from Kagoshima to Yakushima was on a small turboprop commuter plane taking off at 8:50am.
Before we got to Yakushima, the prediction was 100% rain. I also read on a lot of websites that Yakushima is a very rainy island. So we were convinced that our first day would include a rainy hike. When we arrived it was sunny and 70F. The car rental (Times) was a breeze, and our hotel, Jomon no Yado manten was a minute drive away from the airport. We arrived at around 10:40am (felt like it was the afternoon though because we had been up at 4) so our room wasn\u2019t ready. We got changed into our waterproof gear and headed for our first hike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We set out to find a shop to get some snacks and water. On the main road to Yakusugiland, we couldn\u2019t see any convenience stores- so we stopped at an omiyage shop. As we purchased some water, we asked the shopkeeper where the nearest supermarket was. She drew us a map of the nearest one which was towards Anbo port and we stocked up on onigiri and snacks. The shop looked really rundown from the outside though and I didn\u2019t believe it was a supermarket until we stepped in.
Yakusugiland was a 38 minute winding drive along small roads up hill. Upon arrival there were some awesome toilets before the hike (during the hike you will need to do your business in these toilet bags inside toilet stands and then carry it back with you to civilization). The cedar (sugi) trees were amazing. There are a variety of hikes which one can embark on from 30-210 minutes. We ended up doing the 150 minute route. No rain! We lucked out on great weather. The hike wasn\u2019t easy though. There were a lot of steep climbs and declines, getting down on hands to steady myself at certain points. Our knees and legs felt heavy. It was worth it to see the mossy cedars. One of the trees on this trail was 2600 years old. We finished the 150 minute course in 140 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_1996-e1561510427886-768x1024.jpg?resize=640%2C853\")
Feeling the jet lag combined with a grueling hike, we had an early dinner at Kagoshima horumon yakiniku. We tried some deer meat, and also the black pork kalbi which was delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2022-e1561836908422-1024x744.jpg?resize=640%2C465\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hike Difficulty: Easy\/Intermediate, for the 150-minute course. We are city slickers who don\u2019t do a lot of hiking<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The public onsen at the hotel is perfect after a tough hike, and they will pack breakfast and lunch for you for your trek if you request them to<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nDay 4: Yakushima (Full Hiking Day)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27eda3f4-62d1-476f-a5b2-3fde519c8e9a.jpg?resize=640%2C640\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2117.jpg?resize=640%2C853\")
Hike Difficulty: Difficult (for the Bugyousugi course & Takoiwa) <\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drive slowly and monkey-watch (do not feed them!)
Note that the driving path is closed between 5pm-7am daily <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nDay 5: Yakushima to Kagoshima<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2173-e1561839071117-1024x376.jpg?resize=640%2C235\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2303-e1561510759861-768x1024.jpg?resize=640%2C853\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2337-e1561839164726-870x1024.jpg?resize=640%2C753\")
Freshly baked salt (shio) butter cookies<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amazing, melt-in-your mouth famous black haired <\/em>Kurobuta pork<\/em><\/a>. Our favorite was the Hire (\u30d2\u30ec) tenderloin cut<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Day 6: Mt. Aso to Beppu<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2382-e1561510976954-768x1024.jpg?resize=640%2C853\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2459-e1561840313385-1024x606.jpg?resize=640%2C379\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2549.jpg?resize=640%2C480\")
Make sure to check the <\/em>official website<\/em><\/a> for volcano conditions before you head there; if there is enough noxious gases the volcano area will be closed for safety
If you need to maximize time, be sure to rent a car to make your life easier<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
1-ch\u014dme-3-31 Kitahama, Beppu-shi, \u014cita-ken 874-0920<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Book a room with your own hotspring; you can choose the color of your yukata robe too! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Day 7: Beppu to Fukuoka<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2573.jpg?resize=640%2C480\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2594-e1561841611309-1024x1015.jpg?resize=640%2C634\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2647-e1561841731707-1024x602.jpg?resize=640%2C376\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eatandwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_2696-e1561841806214-1024x945.jpg?resize=640%2C591\")
Get buried in warm volcanic sand in the famous Beppu sand bath <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For some live monkey interaction!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My favorite food souvenir can be found everywhere in Fukuoka. It\u2019s a buttery manju (bean paste bun). Its not your traditional red bean paste- it incorporates butter and cream and has a bit more of a western feel to it. I ate all of it during the trip and couldn\u2019t bring any back home<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Day 8: Fukuoka to Hiroshima<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n