Enoshima for the last and then back to Germany

For my last day in Japan the friend who picked me up at the airport when I arrived met up with me again to go to Enoshima, a small island located slightly down south of Tokyo and Yokohama.　

Hanging out in Tokyo

I wouldn’t say I have seen everything I wanted to see in Japan, but today I took a little break from sightseeing and met up with a friend I met in Germany who now lives in Yokohama just to hang around for some time.

Back in Tokyo

There’s not that much to report for today as I used most of my time going back to Tokyo via the route I came down south. The night at the hotel was short and although I was at the main station of Hiroshima rather early I had to wait for my train for another hour.

Hiroshima, a city of contrasts

It was time to say goodbye to the lovely landscapes of rural Kumamoto-ken today and head back for the busy streets of big japanese cities. Or so I thought. I headed for Hiroshima this morning and the friend who helped me out in Kumamoto accompanied me until we reached Hakata, the train station of Fukuoka.

Music and culture at Kumamoto

The night was short for me, but not because I had to get up very earl but because I am not used to sleeping with a turned on air conditioner which is why I was rather drenched this morning. After a shower I headed for Tamana to meet up with my friend and her father who would accompany me to Kumamoto and show me around.

A complete change of scenery – Kumamoto-ken, Kyushu

I left Kyoto this morning to head for the biggest island in the south of Japan, Kyushu. The shinkansen terminates at Hakata, the station of Fukuoka, in the north of the island, and to get there I had to change trains at Shin-Osaka station. Because I was only scheduled to have a 12 minute stop there for the changeover I though I might be in trouble, but because of the convinient signs that help everyone at the station, I was waiting for the train longer than expected. The travel from Hakata to the small city of Tamana was only a piece of cake.

Too many things to see in Kyoto and way too little time

After strolling around the streets near to the central station in Kyoto I headed for some of the better known tourist spots. The only problem is that most of the sites are located on the outskirts of the town which males it very difficult to see a lot in one day. And keep in mind I was still hurting from wandering all around Osaka yesterday, so this became a test of endurance.

More than a number two – Osaka

I had been looking forward to visiting Osaka, but right now I just don’t remember why. Maybe it was because of the local baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers. Maybe because of the food as the city is known as “Japan’s kitchen”. Maybe it was because everybody told me that the inhabitants of Osaka act a lot like the people in Cologne. I have no clue. So I set off this morning trying to find out what it was.

Taking a walk in the countryside: Nara

I woke up early to catch a train to Nara, the old imperial city south of Kyoto. As I wrote yesterday it’s very easy to travel by train, so I injstantly got my express train from Kyoto station to Nara and was there after around 40 minutes.

Off to the south, first stop: Kyoto

Today I set off from Tokyo to take a one week trip around the south of Japan which will first take me to the old imperial city of Kyoto and then to Nara, Osaka, Kumamoto and Hiroshima. I have to admit I was slightly nervous before leaving my host’s house as this is the first time I will embark on a journey completely on my own. But up until now it turned out everything went fine so far. I will stay in Kyoto for the next few days and then leave for Kumamoto and Hiroshima on the weekend. Both Nara and Osaka are so close that I will make day trips to those cities.