SIGHTSEEKERS CLUB
It's not about re-living someone else's journey
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Past Itineraries
JAPAN: Honshu & Shikoku
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Japan with a close friend who wanted to share her hometown of Osaka, Japan. Japan had always intrigued me as a destination to explore, but I wanted an old cultural experience and not the modern Japan of typical tours. And the language barrier was a little daunting since some areas were quite rural. As Japanese is also my friend’s native language, she curated the following 10-Day journey using Osaka as her starting point, employing Google searches and Japanese travel magazines from ideas I gleaned from some Pinterest searches:
Day 1 – Leave LAX at 1:45PM – Arrive in Osaka KIX at 6:15PM the following night.
Day 2 – Osaka : Sugawara Shrine; JR Kami Station train to Osaka Dotonbori District – Owl Cafe tea with live owls, Kamigata Okiyoe Museum with block printing lesson, Osaka Castle; Eel restaurant; board Orange Ferry for overnight boat to the island of Shikoku (private rooms).
Day 3 – Boat docks at Toyo, Shikoku, Japan. Take coastal train at Nyaugawa Train station in Saijo to Matsuyama. Matsuyama Castle via chairlift; hike a single leg of the Shikoku Henro pilgrimage to Ishteji Temple. ; bath at historical Dogo Onsen (over 1000 years old); Stay at Matsuyama Tokyu REI Hotel for 2 nights.
Day 4 – Day trip to cultural craftsman town of Uchiko, 1 hour by train. (Uchiko provides a free Japanese translator if requested early!) Make traditional Japanese washi paper; Make wrought iron candlestick holders; tour old kabuki Uchiko-za theater; visit cultural museum of merchant’s home; observe process of handrolled wax candles. Return to Matsuyama hotel.
Day 5 – Train to Imabari. Rent bicycles at train station to ride across bridges to Onomichi, Honshu on the Shimanami Kaido across Seto Inland Sea- a bus will pick you up when you’re tired; Pirate Museum on Oshima; take bus from Onomichi to bullet train station at Fukuyama station then return to Osaka. Spend night in Osaka.
Day 6 – Train from Osaka to Kyoto. 2-night stay in traditional Machiya cultural home. Subway into downtown for shopping. Evening walk and dinner along river.
Day 7 – Kyoto: cable car to Arashiyama District. Rent bicycles. Ride through Bamboo Forrest, to Tenruji Temple, Soba noodle restaurant, hike up to Monkey Park at Mt. Iwatayama.
Day 8 – Kyoto: private lesson with Japanese baker making traditional Japanese Wagashi sweets; Kyoto outdoor Antique market; Kiyomizu Temple; Kennin-ji Temple; Higashiyama District.
Day 9 – Train from Kyoto to Akame – stay in rural mountain village rice terrace villa: Sasayuri-ann; Hike through lush forrest at Akame Falls; private traditional dinner cooked over fire at Sasayuri-ann by private chef. All locally grown food.
Day 10 – Breakfast cooked to order at Sasayuri – train to Nara (store luggage in lockers at station). Walk through Nara Deer Park; Gangoji Temple; Todai-ji Temple with great bronze Buddah. Evening train back to Osaka.
Day 11 – Shopping in Osaka. Evening flight from Osaka KIX to Los Angeles.
Visiting with the monk as he tends the temple grounds 
Bustling city of Osaka 
The Owl Cafe: tea with a variety of owl species 
Hands-on class on the art of ink block printing 
Our room on the Orange Ferry 
Rural Shikoku from the train 
Chairlift ride up to Matsuyama Castle 
Ironworking hosts & Uchiko translator 
Our group at the beginning of our ride at Imabari 
View of the beautiful Shikoku coastline 
Poem written on a leaf 
Wagashi! 
Monks outside the shrine 
Kyoto Geisha 
View over rice fields at Sasayuri-ann 
Sasayuri-ann 
Hike at Akame Falls 
Akame Falls 
Kyoto antique mart 
The Golden Pavilion 
The courtyard of our Kyoto traditional home 
Shopping in Kyoto 
Nara Deer Park 
Welcome to My Travel Blog
Become the un-common tourist
Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
Sometimes you have to just jump in and accept that possibly what you’re afraid of… is a potential adventure in disguise. Like learning how to set-up a blog page, or befriending a stranger. Sometimes the worst that can happen has become your best experience or memory. I’m stumbling through this new blogging process, so stay tuned for progress and changes. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates. Let’s do this!
About me: Kathy
Braving technology is scary!
Several years ago, while visiting family across country, I decided I’d make the most of a family event and see what interesting sights the locale would offer for our spare time. So I Googled. And I hit the bookstores for Travel Books. Then I scooped up any travel magazines. But it was a traveler submssion in the LA Times that mentioned an obscure activity in an underground cavern that piqued my interest. After that, I was no longer content with the tourist standards… and my thirst for seeking the un-common sights became an obsession!
I am not a 20-something backpacker/hostel sleeper. I’m not even a 30-something. How far you want to go from there is up to you… but my kids are in that range and I am appropriately the right age to be their parent. I am college-educated, married, self-employed with retirement on the horizon. We live in southern California with our college-age daughter and two small dogs. When we travel, we seek experiences, food, art and interaction- the priority may vary.
The purpose of this blog is to share these un-common adventures: how I discover them; how they discover me; and any other aspects of traveling. In terms of our travel budget for Europe (including transportation, food, experiences and hotels), I allot about $1200 U.S. per person per week. It has so far been an annual occurance, so I have time to budget. But as I discover new ways of obtaining this goal, I plan to share them with you!
In closing, my number one focus is being positive and to recognize contentment. I believe in being thankful and acknowledging people for how they bless my life. I strive to accept what is but know that I control how I choose to react (or embrace) my journey! #zerotohero #newblogger #travel #sightseeker
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