Blaby Travels!

Osaka Zoo Osaka Day Trip Blake's mom and brother visited us for almost two weeks! Besides spending some time in Himeji, we also traveled to multiple other Japanese cities, and the first was Osaka. We walked around Tennōji Park and grab some snacks from a konbini to eat. Near the park is Tennoji Zoo, which we explored together. Part of it was under construction as it's undergoing some renovations. We caught an early dinner in the Shinsekai district, then walk around Shinsekai for a bit. Shinsekai is right across from one of the zoo's entrances, so we didn't have to go far! Before heading back home, we made a stop at the Pokémon Center in Osaka Station.  Kagoshima (5 Days) Kagoshima Aquarium We arrived to Kagoshima via Shinkansen and checked in to our hotel. The next day we went to the Kaogshima Aquarium and ate lunch at their restaurant. They had tonkotsu , a local specialty that you could order for lunch. It was quite delicious.  The next day we took the Sakurajima Fer...

The English House—Detective Costumes Rhine House + Rokko Cafe   We took a day trip to Kobe, which isn't far from Himeji. We'd taken a trip focused on the Kitano-cho district in Kobe the first time we were in Japan, and while we'd passed through the area a couple of times since returning, we hadn't gotten around to really exploring it again since our first visit. We decided to finally return for a second Kobe visit focused on this area. Kitano-cho is famous for its ijinkan , homes originally built mainly for foreigners when the city opened up to international trade during the Meiji Period. We spent most of the day visiting a handful of ijinkan we'd never been to before, although there are still others we didn't get around to visiting. The Rhine House was our first major destination for the day. It was built in 1915 and had recently received renovations, as there was damage from a previous earthquake. The first floor had a small gift shop and photo area, while th...

Kunimi Forest Therapy at Mt. Shiso  has a guided course you can sign up for with a forest therapy guide. I went with friends and we took a small monorail to the top. The course follows the Japanese practice of  shinrin-yoku,  also known as "forest bathing" / "forest therapy" where you immerse yourself in nature using all your senses to help reduce stress and improve your health.  It was a great way to slow down. The guide informed us about some of the plants on the trail, and we also walked in silence for a portion of the trial to really hear the sounds of nature around us. At one point he surprised us with hammocks! We set them up and relaxed for a few minutes, and afterwards we drank some tea from a spice bush that is grown by the park. Forest bathing is a wonderful way to reconnect with nature and slow down in our busy, fast-paced world. This was such a relaxing, refreshing experience, and I can't wait to enjoy nature more often and mindfully with all 5 sense...

Matsuyama It was about 4 hours to get there in total, first on the Shinkansen to Okayama and then on a limited express train from there to to Matsuyama. We got there in the evening so we just grabbed dinner and got ready for the next day's trip.  Uchiko We took a train from Matsuyama to Uchiko. The train we boarded was totally Anpanman-themed. Anpanman is a popular Japanese kids' cartoon about a superhero with a head made of anpan, a type of Japanese bread. It's a historic town working on increasing their tourism. They are known for their kabuki theater and wax production. The kabuki theater was under renovation while we were there. The Kamihagara residence and wax museum was interesting. I really liked it! Dogo Onsen Dogo Onsen is one of the oldest public bathhouses in Japan. If you're an anime fan, it even served as inspiration for the the film Spirited Away ! Some of the options were already sold out when we got there. It's a popular place for domestic and intern...

  Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts Osaka is not too far from us, so it's an easy day trip. Last time we were here, the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts in Tennōji Park was closed due to renovations, and it just reopened earlier this year. Right next to the museum is a Japanese garden called Keitakuen that you can go in for a small fee.  Once you leave the museum, you can keep walking straight for a few minutes and quickly arrive at Shinsekai. Shinsekai is a district full of popular restaurants with neon signs, as well as Tsutenkaku Tower, which we visited during our first time living in Japan. Many of the restaurants in Shinsekai have a seat fee per person and many get busy during peak hours, but trying the food here is worth the experience. One of the Osaka specialties you can try is kushikatsu , which consists of  various skewered, battered, and deep-fried meats and/or veggies.

    It's strawberry season! There are so many places with seasonal strawberry menu items in Japan. Nakayama Farm is located not too far from Himeji Station. It's about a 30-minute walk or a short bus ride to get there. You do have to set up a reservation in advance. Once there it's a 300 yen entrance fee and then you have to pay by weight for the strawberries that you picked.  They let you know which rows are open, which have sweet vs. sour strawberries, and you can pick whichever types you like. I made some strawberry chia jam with the strawberries we picked. It was delicious and a great addition to breakfast. We enjoyed strawberry picking with friends!

Taiyo Park is a local attraction located a ways northwest of where we live in Himeji. It has two main areas. The first and larger of the two has sculptures and replicas of famous landmarks from around the world like France, the United States, Mexico, Easter Island, Egypt, China, Micronesia, Polynesia, Japan, and Germany. Some of the statues are a bit hard to see because of overgrown plants.         The park was created by a philanthropist who wanted to help people in need. He did so by creating this park that has an on-site nursing home for people with disabilities. They are free to stroll around lunchtime and in a way get to travel around the world. The park increases awareness, and provides employment for the residents.    The second main area is a newer addition and a replica of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. The castle does not have replicas of world attractions, and instead it is meant to try to increase the number of younger people visiti...