一場跨越半個日本的冒險！跟著電影“鈴芽之旅”的足跡去旅行！跨越三區域、18縣市

一場跨越半個日本的冒險！跟著電影“鈴芽之旅”的足跡去旅行！跨越三區域、18縣市

Ever since watching the movie “Suzume” in 2022, I’ve been fascinated by the heroine’s journey from Kyushu by ferry to Shikoku, then across Shikoku, and through the Akashi Bridge to Kobe. That journey has always filled me with admiration. So, we booked our flight almost a year in advance. We planned to start this trip from Kumamoto in Kyushu, heading south to Kagoshima to see Sakurajima Volcano. Then, with our newly bought Daijin and Sota figures, we went to Suzume’s hometown— Nichinan City’s Aburatsu Port in Miyazaki Prefecture. After that, we went to “The Ever-After Door” beside the old Bungo-Mori Station in Oita. Then, following Suzume’s footsteps, we took the ferry from Usuki Port to Yawatahama in Shikoku. Unexpectedly, we found another “Ever-After Door” here. We boarded the Yosan Line train to the station where Daijin was spotted in the movie— Iyo-Ozu Station! We passed by Ozu Castle, and even recreated a tribute shot of the iconic movie scene on the train. After crossing Shikoku, we went through Awaji Island and crossed the Akashi Bridge to Kobe. In Kobe, we also visited the shopping street from the movie, and took a commemorative photo in front of Shin-Kobe Station. In the story, Suzume departs from here on the Shinkansen to Tokyo. But for us, we returned to Taiwan from Osaka, ending our own pilgrimage journey through the movie. As for Suzume’s journey beyond this, we’ll continue next time! Of course, during this trip we also visited many other spots— like strolling around Kumamoto Castle, admiring the spectacular whirlpools from Naruto Bridge, and visiting the Usuki Stone Buddhas, Japan’s largest collection of stone carvings. We also went to Udo Shrine, built into cliffs in Nichinan. In Kagoshima, we missed seeing Sakurajima Volcano due to heavy rain, which was a regret. But we still enjoyed the beautiful Yufuin and the retro Dogo Onsen. Along the way, we also collected Toyoko Inn’s local GENKI badges. Our schedule was full, and so were our memories! Now, through our lens, let’s take a pilgrimage tour of “Suzume” together! This trip was inspired by the movie Suzume’s Journey. In the first half of the movie, the heroine starts her journey from Kyushu and crosses Shikoku. She passes through Awaji Island and arrives at Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture. Then my husband said, “Let’s have an adventure like that too!” And so we booked tickets with Starlux Airlines. Just in time, we also received the pre-ordered Sota and Minister IC cards. So we brought them along for the trip. Let’s go~ My husband ordered a kids’ meal he had never tried before!? At first glance, it really looked unappetizing… The chicken nuggets were soft…😆 Overall, it wasn’t tasty at all. Everyone, avoid this! Let’s look at the regular meals. They even have kimchi. Surprisingly, I liked the spicy radish…😆 The first stop of this trip is Kumamoto. From the airport, there are Kumamon characters everywhere! First, we went to the airport’s tourist information center to check things out. So cute. Why is it so cute~ He’s wearing explorer clothes! From the airport onward, there are lots of Kumamon merchandise to buy. Don’t forget to get the commemorative stamp at the exit. So cute~ There are two public transport options from Kumamoto Airport to the city center. The easiest is to take the bus. You can board at platform 4 right outside the airport. There are frequent buses, very convenient. Another option is to take the free shuttle bus at platform 6. It goes to JR Higo-Ozu Station. Buses run about every half hour. This time we chose the less crowded option. Taking the shuttle to Higo-Ozu Station then the train to Kumamoto city center. There’s a Kumamon statue in front of the station to take photos with. Transferring here by shuttle seems a bit troublesome. But actually, arrival time to Kumamoto city is about the same as by bus. And the fare is a little cheaper too. It’s also a good option. First thing to do in Kumamoto is find the commemorative stamp. No surprise, it’s at Kumamoto Castle. At the tourist information inside the station, you can buy a one-day pass. There are three types: for trams only, buses only, or both. You can choose depending on your itinerary. Just scratch off the date you want to use it. At the JR ticket machine in the station, you can also exchange Taiwan’s Rail Pass. Scan the QR code on screen to exchange. You can also reserve a reserved seat on the same machine. There’s a Toyoko Inn next to the station. They sell the newly released local Genki badges. Here you can only buy Kumamoto prefecture’s watermelon badge. Kumamoto’s streetcars are really pretty! For lunch today, we’re going to eat Kumamoto ramen. We walked a little further from the station to a local shop. Kumamoto Ramen Kurotei. They say this shop’s Kumamoto ramen is very authentic. They have gyoza too. There’s an automatic ordering machine at the entrance. We ordered the most popular dish and the shop’s limited special. It smells really good~ But I wonder if the garlic flavor will be too strong? (Aping trembling) I’ll try the soup first. The special feature of Kumamoto ramen is the layer of black garlic flakes on top of the broth. Luckily, it doesn’t taste like raw garlic! 😆 (Aping was scared!) It’s okay… OK! OK! Give it a stir. Stirring makes the broth super rich. These two raw egg yolks are meant to be broken up and stirred in. The broth changes completely. It’s totally different. The noodles are so chewy! Delicious, delicious. The broth is very rich. Adding some chili oil. The side vegetable is mukus (black fungus). Whoa! It’s so hot! But it’s not very salty. The broth is made by simmering pork bones and chicken bones together with black garlic crisp. Even though I’m usually afraid of garlic flavor, I really liked this broth! Really, it’s good! Still craving more, I even bought a cooking pack! Next, using the city tram ticket, we headed to Kumamoto Castle. Get off in front of Kumamoto City Hall, and just follow the signs to reach the castle. Hibiscus flower manhole cover? The Nagabei Wall of Kumamoto Castle, damaged by the earthquake, has now been fully repaired. It’s 242 meters long, the longest section of the Kumamoto Castle walls. The black fish in the moat are probably koi carp. The water quality is good, and the fish are very large. There’s a statue of Katō Kiyomasa at the entrance. He was the first lord of Kumamoto Castle. There it is, Kumamoto Castle, in the distance! Admission is 800 yen for just the castle, 1,100 yen including the museum. Visiting Kumamoto Castle involves walking slowly from the outside in. Along the way, you’ll see parts still unrepaired from the earthquake damage. There is a unique underground passage at Kumamoto Castle. Even in broad daylight, it’s very dark, so it’s called the Black Tunnel. It feels very mysterious. We’ve arrived~ The ticket includes admission to the main keep. Let’s go inside and have a look. There’s a well in the basement. It’s super deep! It’s filled with coins 😆 There’s also a model displaying the framework of Kumamoto Castle. The overall structure is very intricate! Floor plans for each level. Model of the main keep at the top level. It’s really very finely crafted. There are many artifacts along the way. The shachihoko (dolphin-like ornament) on top of Kumamoto Castle’s main keep. We’ve reached the top floor of the main keep. You can see many areas are still under construction. The Japanese are very serious about restoring historic sites and take a long time doing it. That building we saw earlier is the Honmaru Palace’s great hall. The small keep. This one hasn’t been restored yet; the whole roof has collapsed. After seeing enough, let’s leave~ At the exit near the ticket gate, we found a commemorative stamp. Kumamoto Castle. The carving is very detailed! You can even write the date on it. Almost forgot to stamp it, luckily I noticed in time. After leaving Kumamoto Castle, we went to explore the nearby Jogai-en. June is hydrangea season here. Jogai-en is a shopping district designed to look like the Edo period. They sell food, souvenirs, and gifts. It’s a place you can easily spend an entire afternoon browsing. There’s also a Kumamon mascot at the entrance for photos. They have wooden gacha capsules with famous Kumamoto samurai. These are real wood… Actually, they’re bamboo strips! Shimazu Yoshihiro… oops, I don’t know who that is? I need to check how famous he is 😆 I want to try to get one I recognize! Yay! Tokugawa Ieyasu! I know this one 😆 Last time during cherry blossom season, it was packed with people! It’s much easier to browse now. The strawberry soft serve that used to have a long line today had no queue at all. No hesitation! Bought one immediately to try. So cute! Let’s see if the strawberries are sour. Not sure how to start eating this 😆 Let’s give it a try. Hmm… Not sure if the ice cream is sweeter or the strawberries, but it’s very sweet. The ice cream is sweeter. Super fragrant! Full of strawberry flavor. Do you want a bite? Eating it together is pretty good. Delicious! So good! Eating together makes it even better! No wonder there used to be so many people lining up. Shaved ice! Summer’s shaved ice treat. Aping is attracted again by the chikuwa (fish cake). Fish paste, chicken, lotus root tempura. Shrimp, crab meat, cheese — this one is probably the original flavor. Ahhh… it’s potato. Fried chicken skewers and red ginger flavored chikuwa. Let’s buy the red ginger flavor. Bought both red ginger and cheese flavors. It’s really hot! Looking forward to the cheese flavor. No cheese pull! 😆 It just melted. It’s melted cheese. Just cheese sauce… a bit disappointing. Let’s try the red ginger flavor. The red ginger is pretty good. More unique. People who like red ginger will find it tasty! Some people don’t like the taste of red ginger. If you like red ginger, you can buy this. The cheese flavor is very ordinary, just what you’d expect. Cheese is cheese, chikuwa is chikuwa. It’s getting dark; time to head back to the hotel. The streetcars in Kumamoto city are very retro. They really have a lot of character! People who like city photography will have a great time shooting here. Back to the station area, this is our hotel. This hotel has been renovated. The overall quality is quite good. Let’s take a look at what the room looks like. Oh! There’s even a sofa chair! Feels pretty nice. Such a big closet! You can hang so many clothes. Hangers and deodorizing spray included. Accommodation info. Cups, tea bags, yukata robe, and an ice bucket. Small fridge. The fridge doesn’t lose power. It gets hot closed inside the cabinet. The bathroom is fairly large! Not one of those super small modular ones. Feels really nice! Can’t help but want to lie down. The small sofa looks like it could fit one person to sleep 😆 The view out the small window reaches far. Next, let’s go have dinner. Kumamoto has a specialty dish: horse meat. We went to a chain restaurant called Suganoya to try it out. They have quite a few options. The most famous is raw horse meat. But we really don’t dare to eat raw horse meat. So we ordered grilled meat on a hot stone and horse meat steak. The grilled meat includes three types: marbled, lean, and belly. First, we seared the marbled meat a bit. The steak comes with mustard, salt, and sauce. Add some mustard and dip in a little salt. So tender! Mmm~ smells so good! It’s sticking… it’s stuck. Is this good now? Oh! Smells great! Delicious! This is good! Horse lean meat. Smells so good. I think it has a buttery flavor. Cheers! Lastly, the horse belly meat. My impression of this meal: so expensive… (said quietly) Six pieces of grilled meat gone in no time. This one is really oily. Too oily. Eating it makes a “pu-chi! pu-chi! pu-chi!” sound! Still, the diced horse steak is the top recommendation! This one is delicious! Tasty. The meat is very tender, quite good. If you like lean meat, you can order this. Lastly, there’s a horse hamburger steak. At first, I thought we ordered too much and wouldn’t finish it, but the portions were all quite small. It’s really just a snack to fill gaps. Let’s give it a try. This one is… just okay. The taste is about the same as regular hamburger meat. It’s QQQQ… bouncy… hamburger meat. The meat is bouncy. The minced meat pieces are small and chewy in the mouth. My impression is that once you’ve tried it, that’s enough. It’s really a bit pricey and not worth it. Good morning, Kumamoto. The weather today isn’t very good. Saying goodbye to Kumamon, we’re heading to Kagoshima. First, I bought some breakfast at Kumamoto Station to eat on the way. Big and full Kumamon rice balls. I found this half-boiled egg curry bread quite special too. On the second day of this trip, we took the Shinkansen to Kagoshima. Our main destination is Miyazaki in southeastern Kyushu. Kagoshima is just a transit stop. We’ll spend a day here to visit Sakurajima volcano along the way. If you have large luggage when booking Shinkansen seats, you can reserve a seat near the end of the car. Then you can put your luggage behind the seat right away after boarding. Let’s go! Because the Kumamon rice ball I bought is so cute. A big rice ball. Really big! That’s how big it is! So big that when you take a bite, it’s only rice 😆 No filling. Perfect for people who love rice. Made for students! (Basically to fill you up) It has pickled vegetables inside, pretty tasty! A good match! Next is the half-boiled egg curry bread I was really looking forward to. Why didn’t I bite into the important part the first time? 😆 The egg is inside the bread. Now I got it. Look! There’s really a half-boiled yolk! Adding a tamagoyaki (half-boiled egg) is so delicious! This half-boiled egg curry bread is good, definitely recommend it. At the tourist information center inside the station, you can buy this cute one-day pass. Just scratch the date to start using it. It allows unlimited rides on city buses, trams, and the ferry to Sakurajima. Using the one-day pass, we rode from [Kagoshima-Chuo Station] to [Kagoshima Station]. There are commemorative stamps at Kagoshima Station you can collect. The volcano is blurry… 😆 We originally planned to walk to the pier and take the ferry to Sakurajima. But halfway there, the rain was so heavy we couldn’t see the road. It was like a typhoon, strong wind and heavy rain. We had to give up all plans for the day. What’s with that rain?! It was like a typhoon! So crazy! Since we planned to spend the day in the city, we didn’t record anything. We took a bus to Tenmonkan shopping street. At Kagakouji Yokocho, we had super delicious chestnut Mont Blanc. Then for lunch, we went to Wagafu Kagoshima Ramen across the street. The dining area is just a small row of seats. But the tasty broth and Satsuma black pork left a deep impression. The sudden heavy rain was so shocking it made me dizzy. I regret not recording it for memory. But this ramen was the best we had on this trip. After lunch, we noticed the rain had stopped! So we decided to continue our afternoon plans. The one-day pass would be wasted otherwise. The ferry between Sakurajima and Kagoshima runs every 15 minutes. The ferry is large and can carry cars too! The trip to Sakurajima takes about 15 minutes. Let’s check out the ferry’s environment. There is a seating area on the second floor after boarding. Upstairs, there is an outdoor seating area. Further up is the observation deck. The next ferry has arrived to take over. Once it docks, it’s our turn to depart. Departure! Heading to Sakurajima. You can see Sakurajima volcano completely covered by clouds. Looks like it’s a no-go today; no volcano view. Arrived! Welcome to Sakurajima! The commemorative stamp at Sakurajima pier is for the ferry. Tour bus timetable (be careful not to miss the last bus). Tour bus route map. The one-day pass also allows free rides on the Sakurajima tour bus. Our first stop is Karasujima Observation Deck. Karasujima was originally a small isolated island. Then a massive eruption from Sakurajima volcano covered the area with lava. This created land connecting Karasujima to Sakurajima. Now Karasujima has become a small hill. On clear days, you can see the magnificent Sakurajima volcano from here. And coincidentally, the volcano erupted a few days ago while we were here. It’s a pity we didn’t see any smoke coming out. If the weather was good… this would be Sakurajima (volcano). But now… it’s just a big cloud… so sad 😭 We’re heading down to wait for the next bus. Next, we arrived at Yunohira Observatory. This is halfway up Sakurajima volcano. It’s the closest spot the public can get to the volcano. The weather improved a bit but we are still in the clouds. It’s all white, still no volcano in sight. We’ll have to come back another time. Now we’re going to explore the Sakurajima lava trail. The lava landscape beside the trail is a unique formation from a big eruption 100 years ago. Can I touch it? It’s just a rock~ (obviously 😆) It’s got sharp edges! Hey! It even has numbers on it! Specially marked, maybe!? A haiku monument by Akiko Mizuhara. Absolutely no tourists here! Had a great time 😆 Saw a Japanese submarine here. Is it surfacing for some fresh air? 😆 Saw a cherry blossom tree with fruit on it here. First time seeing sakura fruit! Looks a bit like cherries but much smaller. There’s a free footbath area in the lava park beside the trail. On good weather days, you can soak your feet and enjoy the volcano view. Ooh~ it’s hot! Oh! Hot! Hot! We walked 3 km from over there. Our feet are tired, so soaking them here before continuing! No tourists at all today~ Hot spring water bubbling up noisily. Finished touring, we took the ferry back to Kagoshima. Back at the station, time for dinner. Kagoshima’s specialty is Satsuma black pork. We came to this restaurant specializing in pork cutlets made from local black pork. Kurokatsutei. Lots of variety, just in cutlets alone. Here comes the food! We ordered the premium loin cutlet set meal. Also ordered the three-item mixed fried set. Side dish: boiled loin meat slices. Kagoshima rice. Three sauces (sesame sauce, shiso salt, Worcestershire sauce). And fragrant roasted sesame seeds. These sesame seeds smell amazing! Let’s eat! Cheers! Mmm~ so oily! The fat is super rich. The meat flavor is very mild and delicious! Mmm~ this rice is so good! The boiled pork slices feel lighter and very tasty! The fatty pork loin bursts with juicy fat when you bite into it. It’s like the fat pops in your mouth—so juicy. Delicious. Tonight we’re staying at Toyoko Inn near the station. The layout and decor stick to Toyoko Inn’s usual style. But this room is quite big! Usually it’s quite small! Normally we have to dodge around luggage, but this room is spacious. I also bought the Toyoko Inn Kagoshima Genki badge. A volcano! 😆 Good morning~ Kagoshima Today we are heading to Suzume’s hometown—Nichinan in Miyazaki Prefecture In front of Kagoshima Chuo Station, there is a statue of the Satsuma youth group This commemorates students from Satsuma during the late Edo period These 19 young men risked being executed They secretly left Japan to study overseas and brought new knowledge back Later they became key drivers of political and economic reforms in the Meiji Restoration government Sakurajima’s mascot—the volcano fairy We didn’t get to see it So cute~ There is no Shinkansen to Miyazaki So we have to take the limited express train We saw Sakurajima volcano on the train today, which we missed yesterday After leaving our luggage outside the station, we immediately departed for Nichinan Since it’s a more rural area We had to transfer to a local train The train car was very rustic and charming I love quietly watching the train car, the people, and the scenery outside while traveling You could call this the atmosphere of travel Arrived—Nichinan’s Yūtsu Station We saw a sightseeing train called “Umisachi Yamasachi” parked across the platform It’s a very old-fashioned sightseeing train! We’re going to Udo Shrine soon Yūtsu Station is small but very unique Because this is the training ground for the Hiroshima Carp professional baseball team The station is decorated everywhere with Hiroshima Carp-related items The commemorative stamps also have the Hiroshima Toyo Carp’s logo Another highlight is the beautiful Horikawa Canal To get to Udo Shrine, you can take a bus at the bus stop outside the station Bus schedules are different on weekdays and holidays There is a timetable posted inside the station and paper schedules available You can also check online to see where the bus is currently The bus is coming~ Let’s go~ Got off at Udo Shrine Station Udo Shrine is built on a steep cliff Overlooking the wide, deep blue ocean below—a very special shrine The coast has many unique local rock formations This is a must-visit spot in Miyazaki Look at this~ All gone~ From the bus stop, you have to walk a short distance to get there Let’s go check it out together Wow~ so cool! Today’s weather is really amazing! From May to June, you can see hydrangeas blooming everywhere in Japan At the entrance, there is a place for omikuji (fortune slips) They offer lucky fortune slips for good luck and blessings You pay 200 yen per draw for the fortune slips 😆 Almost gone~ I’ll pick the heaviest one Oh~ it’s a turtle (money turtle! My husband is so excited 😆) Number 48, “Good Luck” — a turtle (symbolizes wealth and longevity)—not bad! My husband picks one Drawing now Who is it? Otafuku (symbolizes good fortune) Number 21, “Small Luck” There are also many other souvenirs I like this one! (Two pieces in a set) Ah! The face looks like mine It’s made of wood with flowers on it, quite pretty A small rake Udo Shrine inside the cave A card for improving financial luck Welcome to Udo~ The approach to the main shrine is on top of the cliff The sea view on the side is very beautiful There are explanations about the main shrine along the path The features here There are even lobsters! Fortune slips with local designs There are many rabbit statues inside Udo Shrine Rabbits are considered messengers of the gods enshrined here Someone gave a little rabbit some pocket money There is a “fortune ball” filled with five-yen coins for making wishes The view from the high platform in front of the main shrine is very beautiful You can see very far from here According to mythology, Udo Shrine is the birthplace of the imperial family It is said the sea god’s daughter Toyotama-hime gave birth here After giving birth, she left But she left her breast behind in the cave to continue nursing her child The child born from this god later became Japan’s first emperor The main shrine is located inside a cave in the cliff, very unique Let’s go worship there too There is also a rabbit statue here you can touch and pray for health and safety Inside, you can occasionally feel drops of water dripping from the rocks above In front is a rock formed from the goddess’s breast Because of this legend This place has become a sacred site for couples and newlyweds To pray for marriage and safe childbirth We made a loop and are back at the entrance There is a bigger place for omikuji here Let’s go find the styled fortune slips we saw earlier Picking a mango~ Ripe, red mango Picking a Hyuganatsu citrus These are all specialties of Miyazaki Offering fee—one each Two of them~ So cute Next to it, there are bonito and lobster shaped fortunes They give you a little fishing rod to play with Lobster Caught a fish So fun 😆 A big catch A big catch There is a small game here where you can toss “fortune balls” 200 yen offering gets you 5 lucky balls After getting the balls, go to the sea cliff nearby, where there is a rock called the “turtle stone” Try to toss the balls into the cave on the turtle’s back If you succeed, you will receive blessings and have a wish granted Ah! So close But I was still inside the circle So lame 😆 Last ball—no luck 😆 Much harder than I imagined! Besides Udo Shrine There are also Udo Inari Shrine and Ebisu Shrine along the approach to visit The mountain trail to Namiwake Shrine takes 20 minutes to walk… Climbing up from here… There is a souvenir shop at the shrine entrance Let’s go inside and look around Penguins and Mokeke creatures Super silly and cute keychains Various earrings This must be a handkerchief? Some kind of congratulatory fabric Small handkerchief Bath scrubbing cloth Super cute! They are scrubbing each other~ For bathing and hot springs use The patterns are very unique This is very pretty! A coin purse The handbag style is quite youthful Hyuganatsu citrus bear, mango bear A chick? Clay dogū magnets So cute! I like them Handmade, many different shapes Mokeke (モケケ) Local limited edition stretching cat (Nobineko) Aping buys wherever she goes… Walking back along the way Taking the bus back to Nichinan city Because we wanted to see Yūtsu Port that appeared in Suzume’s Journey We got off at Kasuga Station Walking and browsing toward the port The lid with a kingfisher design is so beautiful Near Yūtsu Port, we found a whole area of old houses This area has many well-preserved historic buildings After walking around, there were only the two of us tourists The quietness is a world apart compared to popular tourist spots But our family especially likes this kind of desolate feeling You can visit inside the Yūtsu Brick Hall They sell many handmade accessories here All with a very Japanese flavor This is very beautiful! A beautiful glass pendant A blissful accessory: “White Snake Scales” (from a real snake) Hand-carved wooden fish They even sell ice cream 😆 After coming out from the other side… this actually feels like the entrance? Ooh~ smells so good (ice in hand) I ate it! So fragrant! Super delicious! It’s an old-fashioned ice cream! (Banana water flavor) Right next to Yūtsu Port Seal police Nichinan is the hometown of Suzume and her aunt This port is the starting point of the movie “Suzume’s Journey” Quickly take out the figurines of the minister and Sōta for photos Actually, it’s just a small local fishing port Very well organized Mostly medium and small fishing boats are docked here Because we came in the afternoon It’s not the fishermen’s working time So basically, we didn’t see many people around the port After taking hometown photos of our Sōta and the minister, let’s leave Walking toward the station, we pass through a local residential area It has a simple, charming beauty! Passing the residential area, there’s the well-known local Horikawa Canal beside us This house fits perfectly with the scenery Feels like a scene from an animation This building is also very unique On the way, we also pass through Yūtsu Shopping Street Many rural towns in Japan have become very quiet due to population migration It feels very desolate You can deeply feel this from this shopping street Many shops have closed, and the facilities are in disrepair… Finally, we’re back at Yūtsu Station At the entrance, there are two dogū statues, [Yamashirohiko] and [Toyotamahime] It’s a Pokémon train! Lucky On the way, we went to the Toyoko Inn by the station to buy souvenir pins Miyazaki Prefecture’s specialty: mangoes Not loving ramen, but For the third consecutive day, we tried Kyushu ramen Today’s is a different style from the previous two days This place specializes in miso ramen Starting with gyoza Ouch… so hot Every place’s gyoza tastes a bit different 😆 These all have ginger added The seasoning is a little different Good, tasty I ordered the shop’s signature miso char siu ramen Everyone’s taking a bath 😆 Taking a sip of the soup This one is saltier It’s also different from what we had yesterday Yesterday’s was better (said quietly) The meat is done soaking Yesterday’s was better (that place in Kagoshima) First, drink the soup The soup is bright red Hmm… I can’t describe it Their flavor is more like fermented tofu (So it’s from fermented ingredients, probably) Yeah, probably (So you don’t like this flavor) No~ It feels like there’s a lot of doubanjiang added Yesterday’s was better 😆 It’s okay, I think it’s fine too Different style Different (Soup mixed with rice) This should be really good, right? This is delicious 😆 This is delicious! 😆 Mixed rice is delicious 😆 Because the broth is very rich Ordering plain rice to add to the soup to make soup rice is just right Perfect for eating this way Complaining but still finishes everything, Aping Back to the accommodation Staying at JR Kyushu Hotel today Right next to Miyazaki Station Just outside the station, super convenient! Welcome~ Let’s take a look at the room (We had dropped off our large luggage at the hotel in the morning) Our luggage has already been brought up to the room Yeah! So thoughtful We even went to ask why our luggage wasn’t returned yet First time encountering a business hotel that helps bring luggage to the room The room space is quite ample The decoration is also fairly new The yukata is placed right by the bedside The bathroom has separate wet and dry areas Looks pretty nice Bidet toilet Anti-fog mirror Wow—separate wet and dry areas! The bathroom overall has a good amount of space! We booked this hotel for one night at about 1,900 TWD, very good value Small refrigerator Tea, cups, and electric kettle are here What’s this? Charging cable The curtain is really big! I thought the window would be large, but it’s not! 😆 That’s it~ Good night, everyone~ Today we leave Miyazaki and head to Oita Prefecture In front of Miyazaki Station, there’s a Hyuganatsu (citrus) mailbox Very special! So cute~ Bye bye~ Take the Sonic limited express train to Oita Oita Station In front of the main entrance of the station, there is a rooster and hen statue These two have laid golden eggs! Someone’s doll keychain fell off, and a kind person hung it on the hen statue First, we dropped off our luggage. We’re also staying at JR Kyushu Hotel today The hotel’s biggest feature is a rooftop open-air bath Guests can use it for free Photography is not allowed, so we couldn’t record or share it But the experience was excellent! Highly recommended! The hotel’s design style is very retro With a whole Taisho Romantic era feel Very cute~ 😆 Supplies in the lobby are self-serve Special shiitake mushroom tea from Oita is self-serve Let’s go check out the room Wow~ Ah~ Retro, so retro The room smells like wood! Coffee and electric kettle I noticed recently they’ve been giving these drip coffee bags, which is nice We stayed for 3 days and didn’t use the bathtub once Because every day we went to the large bath on the rooftop 😆 We booked this hotel at about 2,600 TWD per night The experience was excellent, highly recommended Good morning, Oita. Today’s itinerary is Yufuin and Bungo-Mori. The weather is great, so the mood is good too. Since we need to take the train for a while, we bought breakfast from Rodolun Coffee to eat on the way. Today we’re going to visit Yufuin, a place we’ve never been to before. We’ll check out the beautiful Tourist Center and Kinrinko Lake. Then we’ll head to one of the highlights of this trip— the old Bungo-Mori locomotive depot. It’s one of the filming locations for the movie “Suzume’s Journey.” Alright, let’s go! The train to Yufuin is bright red! So beautiful. Let’s go! The breakfast from Rodolun Coffee is actually quite tasty. I also think Rodolun’s coffee tastes pretty good. If I come to Japan again, I’ll buy it again. There’s a slope over there. If you have luggage, you can go around there so you don’t have to carry it up the overpass. Here it is. What kind of flower is this? (Probably butterfly pea!) I saw the very popular butterfly pea in the flower bed near the station recently. I thought the flowers would be big. They’re smaller than I imagined. Very cute. I ended up taking pictures here and stayed quite a while… I think… if you were Himel the hero, you’d definitely do the same 😆 Because this flower is the prototype for “Sogetsuso” in the manga “Sousou no Frieren.” It’s the flower from the hometown of the hero Himel. Yufuin Station is designed very beautifully. It has a simple, modern Japanese style. The Tourist Information Center next to the station is also well worth visiting. There’s a stamp right at the entrance, don’t miss it. It’s a continuous stamp. This building was designed by the architect Shigeru Ban. It’s famous for its unique wooden structure and glass facade. The wooden beams curve like big tree branches. Creating a space that feels like being inside a forest. There are many books on the shelves. It’s really enjoyable to relax and read here in this space. There is an observation deck on the second floor where you can enjoy views of Mount Yufu. Next, let’s head to Yufuin’s most famous shopping street, Yunotsubo. It’s hot! I thought it would be cold! There’s a cat fishing, so cute. There are many little touches and creative details along the way, so it’s never boring to walk around. (He’s washing his face) Is he washing his face? That’s not how you do it… If you cup your hands like that, it looks like you’re shouting 😆 In the park, teachers are taking their students out to play. The environment is really nice here~ There’s a shop called Acorn Forest here. The decorations are very detailed and it’s definitely worth a visit. Bubble blowing toys. Blow bubbles by squeezing. A cute Totoro-shaped bubble blower. Let’s go inside and have a look. The interior decorations have a strong Ghibli style. It’s very pleasant to walk around. Transparent puzzles! You need windows at home. They look like stained glass. This sold out instantly in Taiwan. Calcifer electronic candle holder. Yin-Yin doll. Little chicken god doll. Products related to Princess Mononoke. Calcifer handkerchief. Totoro wall clock. This shop has a pretty complete collection of products. You can find items here that are already sold out in Taiwan. All kinds of keychains. Ponyo. With a fierce expression. By the way, here’s my handkerchief. It has a Laputa from Castle in the Sky on it. Ghibli movie posters. Already in shopping mode early in the morning. You can take a photo with Totoro on the right side of the entrance. Forest spirits from Princess Mononoke. The bucket with a hole from the Totoro animation. A small Totoro under the porch bench. A must-visit shop for Ghibli fans. That one was hotter; this one is just warm. There’s a pattern on the umbrella! Yunotsubo Shopping Street is the main shopping area here in Yufuin. There are many shops, big and small. You can find things to use, eat, and play with — everything imaginable. It’s a place where both guys and girls can have a lot of fun shopping. Traditional Japanese sweets. The dried sweet potatoes look good. Yuzu miso rice crackers. This shop sells a lot of food products. Gold award! The most popular cake. Found a pretty unique pickled vegetable — wasabi pickles. Oita specialty — shiitake mushroom tea. Seasoning for rice. Konjac stuffed with burdock root. Never seen this before, let’s buy one! Burdock konjac. Or you can just buy the burdock root itself 😆 Buying weird stuff! 😆 At noon, music started playing all around. In many places in Japan, music plays at set times. Every time I hear it, it feels magical. Unexpectedly found a place called BREAD & ESPRESSO. Their “Muu (ムー)” bread is very famous. This is it! They have other flavor variations too. There are also other breads on the shelves. So soft, oh! It’s heavy. Let’s try it! Is it really as amazing as people say online? Also ordered a matcha latte and iced black tea. The texture is a bit like Taiwanese hand-torn bread. Crispy and soft. It smells really good! You can smell it here. So fragrant. It’s a little different from regular toast. Forgot to cheers first. Flavored black tea. So sinful! It tastes even better together! 😆 Better than eating it alone! 😆 Can’t stop… Let’s go! We keep exploring the shopping street. Little fish eating dead skin… 😆 [Fish Foot Bath] [GALLERY SORA] “Black Tea” (the name of our pet). That’s her! Really looks like her 😆 An owl waving its arms energetically. Shoebill stork and horned frog. Everything in this shop is really cute. Dogu coin purse. Eh! It won’t open. Too tight. Cute. I really love frogs, so I can’t help but play with frog-related items. Little cat. Dachshund. Frog. Very cute. The person who embroidered this must be amazing. [ESPERANZA Yufu] Frog~ This shop mainly sells clothes and accessories. It should be a great place for girls to shop. But what really caught my attention was this small shelf of frog decorations. Frog in a teacup. Frog bathing in a kettle. Frog bathing in a steel basin. The bathing frog series is quite a clever idea for this hot spring area in Oita. Bought these two. Random purchases 😆 [Wamono-ya Kaya Yufuin store] I want this little dog. So goofy and cute. There’s a big one too. This umbrella is very pretty! Mino-yaki floral tiles. Everyone buys these. Incense-holding raccoon dog statue. This shop is full of Japanese-style clothing and crafts. Friends who like modern Japanese style must visit this store. Further ahead is the popular Yufuin Floral Village. Let’s turn in and take a look. Owl Forest refrigerator magnets. I want to buy this one. Look, there’s a glass beast. This shop has quite a few Harry Potter items. Tree frog. Poison dart frog. Puffed frog? The one that makes a “wah wah” sound? So many frogs! There’s a row of small houses inside here. Inside the small houses are little shops. Most sell merchandise related to magic-themed movies and animations. So popular! The whole alley is packed with people. The crab plush above is more attractive than the crab sticks being sold below 😆 I kind of want that doll. Continuing on towards Kinrinko Lake. That umbrella is very pretty! Yufuin has lots of frog-themed things. Frogs~ made from iron sheets! It’s been such a long walk! Still haven’t arrived 😆 Why is it so far?! Ah Ping was attracted by a shop on the side again. [Chirimen Craft Shop Kinrinko Store] At first glance, it’s frogs again. This series of roly-poly dolls is very cute. This shop makes accessories using chirimen fabric (these keychains are beautiful!). Chirimen is a type of fabric used for making Japanese kimonos. Its production method originated in the Tensho era. It combines Yuzen dyeing with the Tango production area. This evolved into the unique kimono culture of Kyoto. In the past, after craftsmen finished making kimonos, they would use leftover scraps to create handcrafted bags and doll clothes. Back then, the techniques for these crafts were often passed from mother to daughter. Passed down generation by generation. Besides techniques, it also conveyed the spirit of cherishing and valuing materials. This shop sells these kinds of traditional Japanese handicrafts. This frog is really chubby. Bulging-eyed frog~ A fierce-looking frog. There’s also a kappa! This one’s cuter! Hey! This one is so cute. This one’s nice~ Lotus leaf, large gold coin, sea bream fish. Kimono teddy bear. Very beautiful! Kappa who loves eating cucumbers. Bulging-eyed frog pouch. Silk handcraft museum. Bought random stuff again~~~ 😆 Seeing maple leaves in summer. We walked a long time before finally reaching Kinrinko Lake. Yufuin’s Kinrinko Lake is known for mixing hot spring water with clear water. It often has mist in the morning throughout the year. When the lake surface reflects the mountains and forest, small dense ripples shine like golden scales — hence the name. It’s especially enchanting during autumn maple colors and winter morning mist. It’s one of Yufuin’s representative healing spots. Walking the lakeside trail leads to Tenso Shrine at the other end. Legend says this shrine was built by the 12th Emperor Keiko to honor the imperial ancestors. The back of the main hall is very beautiful! Be sure to take a walk around to see it. All the leaves on screen are maple leaves. It’s absolutely stunning in autumn! That’s it for today’s Yufuin tour. We’re walking back to the station, getting ready to head to Bungo-Mori. Let’s go check out one of the filming locations for the movie Suzume’s Journey. Bungo-Mori Roundhouse. Ah Ping, who’s joining the tour. The Bungo-Mori Roundhouse is next to the station, just a short walk away. Walking through a simple, quiet rural town in Japan is also a kind of enjoyment. We’ve arrived! The Bungo-Mori Roundhouse is located in Kusu Town, Oita Prefecture. Built in Showa year 9 (1934) in this peaceful small town. It’s the only remaining roundhouse relic in Kyushu. It’s also one of the filming locations for the movie Suzume’s Journey. Sota and Dajin are ready! Let’s take some good photos later. Because of the movie, they specially made a Tokoyo Gate here. In the movie, the other side of this gate connects to Tokoyo, the land where the deceased can reach. First, let me take a photo of Sota with the gate. I’m back from Tokoyo~ Closing the gate so the earthworms won’t escape. This place was designated as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2012. At the end of World War II, it was strafed by American fighter planes; bullet marks still remain on the outer walls today. It was closed in 1971 but preserved on site ever since. However, this place is more like a historical ruin now. It feels a bit like a ruin. If you want to see a more well-preserved roundhouse, you can visit the roundhouse in Changhua (Taiwan). It is much better preserved there. In front of the roundhouse, there is a steam locomotive from that era. It’s also a massive machine! Mori. At this moment, a Yufuin no Mori sightseeing train passes by. The old and new trains together create a striking contrast. Here I found a male bumblebee. Round and chubby, super cute. Let’s leave now~ Although Bungo-Mori Station is small, it feels very beautiful overall. Let me show you around. Bye-bye, Bungo-Mori Roundhouse. Heading back to Oita with the sunset. Lastly, we went to the Toyoko Inn beside the station to buy some commemorative badges. It’s the Toyoko Inn with hot springs! We decided on the spur of the moment to visit Usuki today. It wasn’t originally part of our itinerary. We saw a flyer at the tourist information center. It introduced a group of stone Buddhas designated as national treasures. There are also well-preserved samurai residences and old streets. Since we’re here, we might as well go take a look. The small Kami-Usuki Station is so retro! I love it ❤️ From the station entrance, taking a taxi to the Stone Buddha grotto is more convenient. The fare is about 1,500 yen. On the way back, if you’re not in a hurry, you can take the bus. Next to the bus stop, the tourist information center has lots of commemorative stamps. Princess Kaguya. Usuki~ Lotus root~ Stone Buddha. Another Stone Buddha. Hand-painted stone paperweights, so cute ❤️ Admission to the Stone Buddha grotto is 550 yen per person. The Stone Buddha path starts by turning right toward the mountain and looping around. There’s a frog next to the Stone Buddha~ Stone Buddha entrance 40 meters ahead. Before the main path to the grotto, there’s a secret little trail along the roadside. It’s a bit hidden and a bit tricky to walk. At the top is Fudō Myōō. Here he is! He’s right here. After seeing Fudō Myōō, we officially head toward the Stone Buddha grotto. At the entrance, you can light some incense. The path is very peaceful and quite beautiful. A full loop will take you past four groups of stone Buddhas. The first we reached was the second group of Kameishi Stone Buddhas. He’s holding something long. This one. Fudō Myōō statues always hold one of these! (Probably his ritual implement.) Choosing the biggest water ladle 😆 Gotta pick the biggest one to wash with. Wow! The water is so cold! So refreshing~ It feels so nice! The water is amazing. There’s a Kannon statue in the water. (From left to right) Seishi Bodhisattva, Amida Nyorai, Kannon Bodhisattva. A bundle of incense for the stone Buddhas costs 30 yen. There’s a deep stone cave. Heading toward the next group of stone Buddhas. This is the first group of Kameishi Stone Buddhas. There’s a staircase leading into the mountains! (Probably under maintenance.) This is the third area, Sannōzan Stone Buddhas. Before the fourth area, there’s a small side path. Let’s check it out. It’s uphill all the way… exhausting. Finally made it. At the highest point is Hiyoshi Shrine. This shrine hasn’t undergone much modern renovation or beautification. It has completely preserved the marks of history. Honestly, I think it’s incredibly beautiful. Main Hall [Sannō-dō]. In a small corner, there’s a commemorative stamp. Ah!? I stamped a mosquito into it… Next to it is a path that goes deeper into the forest. Let’s keep exploring inside. Feels like it’s getting more and more remote… Ahead it says there’s a special historic site: [Stone Five-Ring Pagoda]. Found a bamboo shoot poking out of the ground. The Stone Five-Ring Pagoda consists of two small stone towers. This area is basically a small loop around a hillside. The environment is very serene and well maintained. Here we found the proper entrance to Hiyoshi Shrine. Just looking at it makes my legs go weak! 😆 Next is the final stop in the Usuki Stone Buddha area. Kōen Stone Buddhas. First we see the Kongōrikishi guardians. One on each side. The one on the left is more badly damaged, almost unrecognizable. The incense for prayers here is a bit more expensive. First, I’ll pray for prosperous business. Lighting a few more sticks is also a way to support cultural heritage. Praying for my family’s success in employment and academic achievement. For my mother’s health and safety at home. There’s a commemorative stamp here—don’t miss it. A small Stone Buddha head sculpture. That completes the full loop. Before leaving, I spotted blooming hydrangeas along the roadside. So beautiful~ Let’s stop and take more photos. Local Dining – USAMI Cafeteria. This cafeteria has a grilled whitebelt fish rice bowl, which looks very special. This used to be a tourist center, and besides the restaurant, it also sells souvenirs. Some local Usuki-yaki porcelain. A rabbit! (It’s a chopstick rest.) The restaurant is connected to the souvenir shop. It’s so pretty! I think it’s beautiful! (My husband says it’s ugly and a waste of money.) We ordered two of their signature grilled whitebelt fish rice bowls. It actually looks really good. Crispy. So they deep-fry it first, then grill it in kabayaki style. Otherwise the whitebelt fish would fall apart. Not sure how to describe it… It’s pretty tasty! The texture is just kind of unique. The texture is that of whitebelt fish, but the aroma (and flavor) is like grilled eel. The surface of the fish is crispy, and the inside is very soft. So yes, the mouthfeel is that of whitebelt fish. Not bad. It has perilla (shiso) leaves, giving it that shiso flavor. Not bad. Served with yuzu pepper. Let’s add a little and try. Oh! Spicy. Kabayaki-style dishes taste great with a bit of spice. Like how eel rice always comes with that green powder… Sansho pepper! Oh right, that’s it. This one is genuinely delicious! The taste kind of lingers in your memory after eating. Almost finished~ Since we’re not in a hurry, we’ll take the bus back to downtown Usuki to explore. We randomly picked a spot to get off. Entered from the north side of Usuki Park. This is the site of Usuki Castle. In the Edo period, this was the administrative office of the Usuki Domain. After the abolition of the domains, parts of Usuki Castle were dismantled. The remaining parts were designated as a historic site by Oita Prefecture. Now the entire castle grounds are open to the public as a park. From the high point, you can see the Uto-Kado turret and Uto Inari Shrine. Inari Shrine. One of the fox statues is biting a scroll. Far away, there’s a small mountain or island. (Out on the sea behind the fox.) There’s a huge fox head there. From the torii gate of Inari Shrine, you can walk to the Uto-Kado turret. The castle’s location was originally on a cliff by the sea. Now the surroundings are all reclaimed land. The main keep is now just an empty field 😆 Inside the park there’s also Usuki Gokoku Shrine. It’s small and old, full of the marks of time. Because we got off at the wrong bus stop, we ended up entering the park from the back. And then left from the main entrance 😆 Diagonal to the park entrance is the Usuki Tourism Exchange Plaza. The stamp for Usuki Castle’s “Top 100 Castles” collection is here. We also found a mascot doll of the Usuki Stone Buddhas. Of course I got it! A big Buddha! So cute~ On the road, we met a chubby cat. It wasn’t afraid of people at all, and even came to ask for pets. Nearby there’s another sightseeing spot — Nioza Historical Road. This was the neighborhood where samurai lived during the Edo period. An old house was converted into a tourist rest area. The first floor is for resting, the second floor has historical photo displays. On this 200-meter-long street… You’ll find well-preserved temples and Edo-period bamboo houses. This area has preserved the atmosphere of old Japan. There are almost no traces of modern development. Whether you’re taking photos here or strolling around, it’s a real pleasure! Since we arrived rather late… Most shops were already closed. It’s a pity we couldn’t buy any local souvenirs. Time to catch the train back to Oita. The Usuki Station sign inside the station is so cute. Because “Usuki” sounds the same as “I like/love” in Japanese… There’s a big heart drawn on the sign. There’s even a big Buddha head on the platform. Today we’re heading from Kyushu to Shikoku. Following the route from Suzume no Tojimari. We’ll take the ferry from Usuki Port to Yawatahama Port. So many local high school students～ The ferry terminal isn’t far from the train station, we planned to walk. But since we had big luggage, we took a taxi instead. Turns out the driver told us the ferry terminal had moved to a new location. Good thing we took a taxi, otherwise we’d have missed the ferry! Before buying tickets, you need to fill out a passenger transport application form. Only after filling it out can you buy a ticket at the counter. Ticket prices vary depending on the class. Cars can also board the ferry. Got our tickets! Time to board～ Up ahead we can see today’s ferry. It looks exactly the same as the one in the movie Suzume! Since it’s not a popular sightseeing route, there are almost no tourists. Our cheapest 2nd-class tickets include seating areas, sofa sections, and even a tatami floor area where you can lie down and sleep. In the middle of the ship there are vending machines and seats. They even provide a microwave! It’s strapped down so it doesn’t slide around. The vending machines have a good variety, not just drinks but also food. (You can even grab a late-night snack) Does this ferry have night trips? (Yes) Coin-operated massage chairs. Go upstairs and you can feel the sea breeze on the deck. The stern? Can we go up there too? On the top deck of the ferry you can sit and enjoy the view. We tipped the taxi driver and got a small gift in return. It was peanuts! Peanut candy, so cool! Let’s try one. (A token of kindness from the taxi uncle) Candy of love ❤️ (If we hadn’t taken the taxi, we’d have gone to the wrong port) We would’ve rushed all the way there! (Really rushed there!) Then we’d have to come all the way back, what a hassle! (The info online still shows the old place) Yeah, exactly! The ferry slowly departed. The sea is calm today, the ride feels really smooth. Earlier we couldn’t find the ticket counter, but a kind dock worker helped us. We forgot to say goodbye to him (ah, right) so let’s thank him 100 times in our hearts. We spotted a little island shaped like a rice ball. It reminded me of the onigiri we bought for breakfast. Eating rice balls while looking at “Onigiri Island” 😆 Taking out my Sōta figure for a photo. Outside the lounge downstairs, there’s also a walkway to see the ocean! The wind is so strong, my hair’s a mess! It takes over two hours from Usuki Port to Yawatahama. Plenty of time to kill. Thankfully, the ferry is spacious, so there’s lots to do. Honestly, it’s more comfortable than taking the train. And if you really have nothing to do, you can just lie down and sleep… (so nice) The scenery shows we’re slowly approaching land again. That means we’re almost at our destination. Packing up our luggage, time to disembark. Still taking pictures of my Sōta. There’s a bus timetable in the lobby. Plenty of buses heading to Yawatahama Station. What a surprise — there’s a Suzume pilgrimage display here! Photos and newspaper articles related to the movie. Even a model of the “Ever-After Door” and a Sōta bench made by students. And there’s even a Suzume movie poster inside! Walk out like the poster does… Close it properly. Let’s take our Sōta out for a photo too. Bye-bye~ what a nice surprise to see this. In the end, we didn’t wait for the bus… we got lazy and took a taxi instead. The postbox is orange! There’s even a Sōta inside the station. Oh~ ours is more yellow. This station has a commemorative stamp, don’t miss it. You can even write the date! May 29th, Year 114 (Taiwan calendar). “Japan’s No.1 Delicious Mikan Station,” Yosan Line, Yawatahama Station. Yawatahama Station doesn’t have an elevator, carrying big luggage is a bit tough. The silver-blue train on the Yosan Line is its signature style. It appeared in quite a few scenes in the Suzume movie. Since there are only the two of us on this train… We took out the Minister for a proper movie tribute photo shoot. And off we go—now with two more passengers. Ōzu Castle, which also appeared in the Suzume movie. To get to Matsuyama, we need to transfer here at Iyo-Ōzu Station. There’s about a 20-minute wait. So we took the chance to shoot another tribute photo from the movie. The connecting train car looks exactly the same. Let’s keep going! Heading for Matsuyama. The commemorative stamp at Matsuyama Station features the Red Elf from Anpanman. There’s another stamp after exiting the gate. It’s tucked in a corner nearby—easy to miss. A station with Japan’s oldest hot spring. First, let’s drop off our big luggage at the hotel. Tonight’s hotel is pretty standard. Let’s check out what the room looks like. A not-so-big double bed. A small desk and a TV as big as a computer monitor—still okay. Tea bags, cups, and an electric kettle are in the drawer. The mini fridge is in the desk cabinet. There’s a separate wardrobe too. The bathroom isn’t too small, it’s fine. Mainly, the room rate is cheap—so we’re pretty satisfied. After unpacking, since there’s still a bit of time… Let’s go check out Dōgo Onsen, said to be Japan’s oldest hot spring. We spotted a Pokémon manhole cover on the ground. You can get to Dōgo Onsen directly by tram—super convenient. As expected of a tourist area—so many visitors! At the entrance to the hot spring street stands a model of the Botchan Train. This was one of the first train models of Iyo Railway. After getting off, it connects directly to the Dōgo shopping street. At the entrance, the Botchan Clock puts on a show every hour. We’ll come back to see it later. Dōgo shopping street is also nicknamed the “Stylish Arcade.” Inside are all sorts of souvenir shops and restaurants. The dazzling array of goods is really overwhelming. Maybe we’ll come back in winter and stay overnight to fully enjoy the onsen town vibe. But today we’ll just have a quick look around. The local specialties here are “Botchan Dango” and “Ichiroku Yuzu Roll Cake.” Botchan Dango also comes in small packs. This shop really lives up to the name “stylish.” Let’s go take a look inside. Such a quirky goldfish-shaped bag. This store sells quite a wide variety of things. Local snacks and souvenirs. A whole wall of hanging plush charms. Almost all themed around mikans and hot springs. Tons of souvenirs featuring Ehime’s mascot “Mican the dog.” Even bath powders come in so many varieties. Yuzu bath, lemon bath… Mikan bath! The shop also has lots of Japanese-style clothes and yukata. Couldn’t resist trying one on. This one looks really nice too, right? So summery. This one’s good too. Teasing the good housewife. You, step aside! My eyes are getting tired—it’s all orange everywhere 😆 There are tons of souvenir and gift shops. A rice cracker specialty shop. And a Rilakkuma specialty store. Let’s hurry in and take a look. So cute! Only available here. This is a Dogo-exclusive Rilakkuma doll. At the side gate, there’s a bench where you can take photos with Rilakkuma. Right next to it is the famous Dogo Onsen Honkan. This bathhouse was just renovated and reopened in July 2024. The entrance fee ranges from 700 to 6000 yen depending on the service. At the entrance you can see lots of lockers inside, looks like it can hold a lot of people. We won’t go in for a soak this time—let’s save it for another visit. The building just finished renovations, it’s really beautiful. Let’s walk around and take a look. Each of them has a different pose? That should be a heron, right? This ladle at the hot spring water basin is so long. Oh! The water is really hot! It’s a hand bath! (Of course hot spring water is hot 😆) The road Chihiro walked on. This staircase looks like a scene from Spirited Away. Actually, the whole building feels like it. The roof tile decoration here is so unique! A winged dragon! Let’s try the special mikan (mandarin orange) soft serve at Ichiroku Honpo. Inside the shop, you just pay at the vending machine. Waiting for our number to be called. Oh wow~ it smells so good! Delicious! Really tasty. The flavor is kind of like yuzu. That’s a sugar-glazed cookie. So sweet. Meringue. But honestly, I think it tastes better on its own. The ice cream alone is delicious. Skip the cookie, just eat the ice cream~ 😆 See? The ice cream is really good, right? Finally, let’s check out the Botchan Clock performance. It performs every hour on the hour. On holidays and in certain months, it also plays every 30 minutes. Here it goes. The design of this mechanical clock is based on Dogo Onsen Honkan, specifically the drum tower on top called Shinro-kaku. Inside are characters from Botchan, a novel by Natsume Sōseki set in Matsuyama. When the time comes, these figures appear one by one to Dogo-style music. After the performance, they all return back inside the clock. That’s it for today’s walk, time to head back to the hotel and rest. Oh right! The Toyoko Inn pin here is shaped like Botchan dango from Matsuyama. A cute three-colored dumpling. Today we’re traveling from Matsuyama to Tokushima. We took the tram early in the morning to Matsuyama Station. First, we bought our tickets at the booth next to the bus terminal. The direct buses departing from here can reach many destinations. The bus schedule is displayed right at the entrance. It was still early, so the staff hadn’t started working yet. So we could only use the ticket machine. Selected Traditional Chinese. Purchased the ticket. From Matsuyama to Tokushima. Today is the 30th! The 30th. Heading towards Tokushima. Why is it all blank? Then what? There should have been text, right? Can’t it translate? Ah, what about this? Maybe select Japanese instead. Why is there no text? Only Japanese works… okay then. Matsuyama Station – this is where we start. Tokushima Station – this is where we arrive. You have to switch to Japanese to see the text 😆 So funny. Next, we select our seats. Here? Let’s sit at the front. The ticket from Matsuyama to Tokushima is 4,800 yen per person. The machine prints both the ticket and receipt. You can also take the overnight bus to Nagoya. It takes 10 hours—super long! Here comes our bus! This is the best seat! (It’s bigger 😆) Heading to JR Tokushima Station. Departure! The weather in Matsuyama isn’t good today either. We don’t have time to go up to Matsuyama Castle this trip. Leaving a little regret gives us motivation to come back next time. Grabbed an onigiri from a convenience store as breakfast. Salmon rice ball. First time seeing an onigiri shaped like sushi. Tastes just like salmon sushi… 😆 The other one is salmon roe onigiri. The rice inside is especially delicious. Taking the express bus from Matsuyama to Tokushima. It takes about 3.5 hours. Occasionally, we see small villages in the mountains. It’s actually really beautiful in person. At Miyoshi Station, everyone gets 10 minutes to get off and use the restroom. Yoshinogawa Service Area (northbound). Stopped by to take a quick look at the service area. Found some seasoned chicken spices here. For frying chicken. There are other flavors too. A friend recommended this before—it’s really tasty, so we bought some. Time to browse is super short! So rushed! Our haul! 😆 Back on the road. Finally arrived at Tokushima Station! The hotel we’re staying at is right next to the station. First, drop off our large luggage. Will show the room later. In front of the station, there’s a whole area of bus platforms. Many buses depart to various places. This afternoon, we’re going to see the famous Naruto Whirlpools. There’s a direct bus from the station—it’s very convenient. Get off at Naruto Park Station. Follow the signs to Uzunomichi. To see the Naruto Whirlpools, note that they are most impressive only twice a day. We’re lucky—today is the month’s largest ebb tide. We can expect to see some huge whirlpools. There’s the Great Naruto Bridge! Tomorrow we’ll head to Kobe from here. From afar, you can see the strong currents under the bridge. That’s probably where the whirlpools are. Let’s make the most of our time—let’s go! Tickets are required—510 yen per person. The Naruto Whirlpools often appear in anime as well. This time, we finally get to see them in person. Uzunomichi is a sea walkway located beneath the Great Naruto Bridge. It’s about 450 meters long. You can stand 45 meters above the sea. Overlook one of the world’s three major tidal currents—the Naruto Strait whirlpools. Also, note that the timing of the whirlpools varies each day. Before coming, you can check the official website for the best viewing times. Today we happen to catch the biggest tide of the month. We should be able to see a really big Naruto Whirlpool. So lucky! Let’s go experience it together~ From afar, we can see several sightseeing boats on the water. This sightseeing boat looks so retro~ The end of Uzunomichi is this observation deck. From here, you can see the Great Naruto Whirlpool. It’s incredibly impressive in person! I noticed the sightseeing boats purposely chase the whirlpools! In the middle of the bridge on the walkway, there’s a glass floor to look straight down. You can see a lot of splashing water up close. It’s crystal clear and very beautiful. On the floor-to-ceiling glass, there’s a map showing the surrounding islands. This Turtle Rock is really close to us. It’s still pretty easy to recognize. Time to head back~ Almost forgot to get the souvenir stamp here. First time seeing such a big one! Bigger than my face~ Luckily, it still fits. There’s actually a smaller souvenir stamp next to it. Big whirlpool and small whirlpool~ 😆 A super large souvenir stamp! From the Uzunomichi entrance, walking a bit to the side leads to this plaza. Here you can take pictures with the Great Naruto Bridge. Same color as your clothes! Blends right in! 😆 Sightseeing boats playing with the whirlpools. You can take group photos on this one. It’s heading out to chase the whirlpools! Tokushima specialty~ Awa Dance 😆 Feeling hungry, let’s find a nearby restaurant. Nishigami Shoten Restaurant. As soon as you enter, it feels very local. Feels like a family-style restaurant. Mainly serves noodle dishes; set meals come with side dishes and onigiri. They gave a chikuwa (fish cake) cut in half. This marinated seaweed is so delicious 😆 The seaweed on the onigiri is crispy. This rice is really tasty! So good! There’s something inside it! (I thought it was plain rice) It’s pickled seaweed inside. Finish the onigiri first. That inside part is seaweed, sweet in taste. So chewy! QQ texture. Delicious~ This chikuwa is really tasty, they also sell it separately. I want to buy more. Buy some chikuwa. We bought some later… but left it in the hotel fridge 😭 From the window, you can see the Great Naruto Bridge. Full and satisfied~ bought a big bag too 😆 Back to Tokushima~ On the way back, we also took the direct bus to Tokushima Station. First thing back at Tokushima Station is to get a Genki Badge at Toyoko Inn. The Tokushima Genki Badge is in the shape of the Awa Dance 😆 Being silly… This badge really captures the local flavor. If you’re in Japan, remember to collect them! Today’s hotel is Daiwa Roynet Hotel next to Tokushima Station. Here’s what the room looks like. The room is quite spacious, bigger than a typical business hotel. A larger double bed. Surprisingly, there’s even a massage chair. Also comes with a small table and chairs. A desk area and a fairly large TV. Refrigerator. Cups and a kettle. Complimentary bottled water. Window with outside view. Wow! Separate wet and dry areas~ The bathroom is large and has separated wet and dry zones. Bidet toilet outside. The bathtub is quite big! This bathroom is quite a pleasant surprise. There’s even a large shower head above. Really love this feature. The entire bathroom is very clean. Hardly any water stains visible. Big plus! Amazing! Tomorrow we’re heading to Kobe~ That’s it for today, good night everyone. Today we’re leaving Tokushima and heading to Kobe. The bus ticket center is right below the hotel. There are especially many buses bound for Osaka and Kobe. A ticket to Kobe costs 3,600 yen per person. Still had some time to buy breakfast and stamp a commemorative seal at JR station. The stamp design is Tokushima’s Awa Odori dance. Picked up a rice ball for breakfast. Is this Shin-Kobe? Let’s go! First, we’ll cross the Onaruto Bridge where we saw the whirlpools yesterday. As expected, you usually can’t see the whirlpools from the bridge. 😆 Once we cross the Onaruto Bridge, we’ll be on Awaji Island. We’re here now, at the “backside” of Awaji Island. 😆 In the distance, you can see the Akashi Bridge. In the movie, Suzume also passed here while hitchhiking. Once we cross the Akashi Bridge, Kobe is not far. Our hotel today, Brenza Hotel, is right next to Sannomiya Station. First, let’s drop off the big luggage. The Brenza Hotel lobby looks like a café—very beautiful. After leaving our bags, let’s go on Suzume’s pilgrimage. Found a really pretty fire hydrant cover on the ground! The Ninomiya-suji Shopping Street sign also appeared in the movie. There’s a public bath called Ninomiya Onsen nearby. This sento is quite famous locally. The entrance is just around the corner by this gate. We saw lots of customers going to the bathhouse. Maybe next time we’ll try it. Spotted strawberry milk in a vending machine—the same one from this morning’s TV ad. In the commercial, the actress ran up a steep slope just to drink it. Let’s try it too. Saw it on TV, so I bought it. Is it really that good? The main character went all the way down a super steep slope just to get it! Wait, it was the one from the morning TV show!? Yes. Wasn’t she exercising? On a really steep slope? She went all the way down just to buy this! Yeah! So strawberry-flavored! This… tastes kind of artificial. But actually, it’s pretty good… surprisingly tasty. Though the bottle is a bit small. Still, it’s quite good. So worth climbing that 13-degree slope… maybe. Continuing on to Ninomiya Shopping Street. This is a covered arcade street. This building here is the little bar run by Rumi in Suzume. Let’s take a photo here. There’s also a Ninomiya Market nearby. Seems like it’s more of a morning market—by afternoon, most shops were closed. We kept wandering around. Passed by a Toyoko Inn in Kobe. Let’s go buy their Genki Badge. This one is especially pretty! Yeah—Himeji Castle! Alright, to the next spot. This is our final stop for Suzume’s pilgrimage—Shin-Kobe Station. Let’s stamp a commemorative seal first. The stamp shows Kobe’s Ijinkan district. We’ll head to Ijinkan after this! Let’s go! This wall at Shin-Kobe is where Suzume made her last stop in western Japan. She said goodbye to Rumi and took the Shinkansen to Tokyo. So our pilgrimage also comes to an end here. Leaving Shin-Kobe, we head toward the Kitano Ijinkan area. There are signs pointing to Ijinkan and Nunobiki Herb Garden. We reached the Herb Garden first, so let’s go inside. It’s on the hillside, so it’s much easier to take the ropeway up. That’s the ropeway we’ll be riding soon. Time to buy tickets. A round-trip ropeway ticket costs 2,000 yen per person. In May, you can see lots of flowers here during the blooming season. Right after buying the ticket, you can board the ropeway up. The initial acceleration of the ropeway always feels scary… Nunobiki Herb Garden is on a slope 400 meters above the city center. It’s Japan’s largest herb cultivation and sightseeing garden. Taking the ropeway is the best way to get there. Not only is it easy, but you can also enjoy sweeping views of Kobe. The ropeway first stops at the mid-station, Kaze-no-Oka. No need to get off—just stay on until the summit. The ropeway’s acceleration when starting really is scary. 😆 From here, you can see the walking trails of the Herb Garden. There are lots of flowers planted along the paths. You can walk down from the summit station to the mid-station. There’s a big greenhouse here. We’ve arrived at our destination. Here is a model of the entire park. You can see 12 themed gardens and exhibition halls. At the observation plaza, flowers are in full bloom. Many butterflies are fluttering among them! From here, you can see the Kobe port area. The overall style of Nunobiki Herb Garden is based on a European theme. Music fills the surroundings, making it very pleasant to stroll around. Various herbs are also available for purchase. It really suits me today 😆 (I love this hat). The souvenir shop sells many herb-related items. Local honey and honey cookies. Bouquets of dried lavender. Herbal teas and dried fruits. There are also several restaurants here, so let’s grab something to eat first. Just a short wait in line and I got it quickly. This is a hash brown (the round one with a smiling face). The aroma is mouthwatering. The set includes two small chicken drumsticks, fries, a hash brown, and three kinds of sauces. The taste is fairly average, not bad. But the dining atmosphere here is really excellent. Walking further inside, we arrive at the Fragrance Museum. Inside, many old tools used for extracting fragrances are on display. Originally, I wanted to walk slowly down the mountain, exploring all the way to the mid-station of the ropeway. But it was closed off at 5 p.m., so passage was not allowed. So we had no choice but to take the ropeway back down. It’s a pity we couldn’t explore this area this time. Next time, we should plan to set aside 4 to 6 hours. On the way down, the ropeway gives an even better view of Kobe city. Riding it at night, the whole night view of Kobe must be spectacular! We’ve arrived at the bottom. There’s a commemorative stamp at the exit. Nunobiki Herb Garden Ropeway. This one is really beautiful. I like… this one. At the exit, there are also many beautiful handicrafts you can buy. Leaving the ropeway station, there are signs pointing toward the Ijinkan area. It’s not very far, you can walk there. The bus has a very retro feel. Almost there～ Kitano Ijinkan Street was once a residential area for foreigners after Kobe Port opened in 1868. Located on a hill overlooking the sea. It has many Western-style houses with delicate Japanese touches. Together, they create a unique streetscape. It is said that about 30 Western-style houses still remain here in their original form. Among them, 16 are open to the public. But since we came here a bit late today, most of them had already closed to visitors. So we just enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the neighborhood along the way. Amid the European-style community, there are also very Japanese shrines. The clash of Japanese and Western styles makes the scenery even more fascinating. Ahead is the Weathercock House, one of the most famous buildings here. There are quite a few statues along the streets. You can take nice photos with them. Today, there were hardly any tourists in this area. It felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Here’s a very cute cat statue. The top of its head is super shiny from being petted so much! 😆 Playing with its little paws～ We passed by many slopes along the way, all quite beautiful. We couldn’t help but stop to take photos. Another pretty fire hydrant cover. Along the road, there were flowers of all kinds everywhere. Truly a feast for the eyes. Kobe really is a Japanese city with a strong European feel! It’s a nice place to stroll around leisurely. Finally, let me show you today’s accommodation. Brenza Hotel, next to Sannomiya Station. Its advantages are being close to the station, having modern interiors, and reasonable prices. The room is much bigger than expected. There’s a small counter where you can open large suitcases. Inside, there’s a mini fridge. Cups and a safe. A nice little desk. A touch-control night lamp. Let’s check out the bathroom. A modular bathroom, simple and clean. It’s nice that there’s a bathtub. The TV is really large, and it can connect to the internet, which is great. This Suzume’s Journey in Kobe is also coming to an end. Time to get back to reality. We didn’t plan any schedule for the end of this trip. On the way to Osaka, we collected some commemorative stamps. At Kobe Sannomiya Station’s tourist center, there are two beautiful stamps. One shows the beautiful historical streets of Kobe. The other one says “Welcome to Kobe.” Since our return flight to Taiwan was from Kansai Airport… …we needed to head back to Osaka in the end. First, we stopped at the Toyoko Inn at Namba Nipponbashi to buy a Genki Badge. It’s Osaka’s specialty — a takoyaki-shaped badge. Next, we went to Tennoji Station to transfer trains toward Kyoto. Tennoji Station also has a commemorative stamp — don’t miss it! At the Toyoko Inn in Kyoto Shijo Karasuma, we bought another Genki Badge. This one was a geisha face! Let’s go! On to the next Toyoko Inn! From Kyoto, we headed to Otsu. Here, you can buy the Shiga Prefecture Genki Badge. Shiga’s Genki Badge is an adorable tanuki design. A tanuki with huge balls! 😆 We wanted to buy the Nara badge too, but time ran out. So we had to head back to Osaka. Let me show you the SOBIAL Hotel near Daikokucho in Osaka. The lobby is quite stylish. There are cookies and coffee available for free. They also have tea bags to brew. Amenities are available to pick up here. Let’s take a look at the room. The room is pretty new, but smaller than expected. Here’s the bathroom. This is the bathroom!? It’s so tiny! Look! It’s so cramped! What a tiny bathroom! 😆 It’s surprisingly small too. 😆 But it does have separate bath and toilet. And that makes us happy. We booked this hotel because it was only around NT$1,000 and included breakfast. Let’s check out what they serve for breakfast. Salad bar. Bread section. Milk and mixed juice. Scrambled eggs. Natto and side dishes. Chinese-style rice bowl toppings. Freshly made okonomiyaki. Croquettes. Pasta. Grilled mackerel, cheesy chicken, German sausages, and potato balls. Miso soup and curry. Fruits and desserts. And then, fresh seafood delivered daily from Kizu Market. It’s my first time eating sashimi at a budget business hotel breakfast! They also had sushi rice so you could make your own kaisendon. The sashimi looked really good quality. The seafood selection changes daily depending on availability. Topped it off with seaweed — my kaisendon is ready! It actually looks pretty legit! 😆 They also had good quality eggs. So I grabbed one for tamago kake gohan. Green onions and raw egg on top of rice… …a splash of soy sauce, and it’s done. For this price, such a lavish breakfast is an amazing deal. The freshness was unbeatable. It was so good, I went for a second round. The room was tiny, but the breakfast was fantastic. Finally, we headed to Kansai Airport to return to Taiwan. This journey started in Kumamoto… …then to Kagoshima, Miyazaki, and Oita. We traveled around most of Kyushu, then took a ferry to Shikoku. From Matsuyama, we crossed Shikoku to Tokushima. Then through Kobe and finally arrived in Osaka. For the two of us, with almost no foreign language skills… …this really was the biggest adventure of our lives. And in the end, we completed the journey successfully. We were truly so happy. On the flight, we specially chose the Middle Eastern meal. It turned out to be really delicious. If you like exotic cuisine, give it a try. From the plane, we could see one regret of this trip — Sakurajima Volcano. It was so clear today! Back in Taiwan! Next, we’ll head to Wakkanai, the northernmost tip of Japan’s mainland. And take a look at the famous Rishiri Island. See you next time!

這次我們參考電影”鈴芽之旅”主角的足跡，規劃了一個幾乎半個日本距離的大冒險！

一路橫跨了三個地區：九州、四國、關西
遊歷了18個縣市：熊本、鹿兒島、宮崎、大分、愛媛、德島、兵庫、大阪、日南、豐後森、由布院、臼杵、松山、鳴門、淡路島、神戶、京都、滋賀

不會日文與英文，只用手機翻譯與大眾運輸工具就完成了個行程，大家跟著我們的鏡頭，一起去看看沿路的風光與美食吧！

章節：
00:00 🎬 跟著電影“鈴芽之旅”的足跡去旅行的緣起
02:53 🛫 出發！搭星宇航空前往熊本
06:04 🚌 熊本機場到市區的交通怎麼坐
09:11 🍜 熊本拉麵 [黑亭] 美味的黑蒜湯頭
11:53 🏯 熊本城走透透
17:57 🌸 櫻之馬場 城彩苑
22:35 🏨 ONE STATION HOTEL 熊本 飯店開箱
24:17 🥩 馬肉料理 菅乃屋
27:44 🌞 早安，熊本！旅程的第二站出發
31:29 🌧️ 颱風般的暴風雨大亂行程
33:37 🌋 雨停前往櫻島火山
37:33 ⛰️ 烏島變成小山丘？意外的火山景觀
44:03 🍖 薩摩黑豬炸豬排 [黑勝亭]
47:10 🚄 早安鹿兒島，準備搭車往宮崎
51:34 ⛩️ 前往傳說中的聖地，鵜戶神宮
1:00:40 🌅 從本殿前高台遠望，美景滿分
1:06:54 🏘️ 油津紅磚古厝群老街漫步
1:09:17 🛥️ 鈴芽之旅的起點！油津港現身
1:10:49 🌉 沿著堀川運河散步
1:14:17 🍜 超人氣！丸二味噌拉麵開吃
1:18:25 🏨 JR九州飯店 宮崎 開箱
1:20:25 🚉 前往大分
1:21:32 🛏️ JR九州飯店 大分 開箱
1:23:34 🚆 出發！大分前往由布院
1:28:31 ℹ️ 由布市遊客服務中心
1:30:14 🚶 漫步由布院 湯之坪
1:49:22 🌅 絕美金鱗湖
1:54:55 🚂 造訪《鈴芽之旅》聖地：豐後森機關庫
2:01:15 🚆 搭乘列車前往臼杵
2:02:13 🙏 國寶級千年佛像！臼杵石佛群參觀
2:16:42 🍽️ 令人回味的美食～蒲燒白帶魚飯
2:20:29 🏯 臼杵公園感受臼杵城遺址的沒落
2:25:25 🌊 臼杵老街區，二王座歷史之道
2:29:03 ⛴️ 從九州前往四國，搭渡輪到八幡濱
2:30:43 🌬️ 甲板吹海風、船上設施介紹
2:37:13 🏃 抵達八幡濱，追逐大臣的足跡！
2:38:54 🚃 予讚鐵道，伊予大洲、大洲城
2:42:21 🏨 HOTEL MYSTAYS 松山 飯店開箱
2:43:21 ♨️ 前往道後溫泉
2:48:11 🏛️ 道後溫泉本館與特色拍照點
2:54:36 🚗 啟程，前往德島
2:59:56 🌉 出發！鳴門大橋
3:01:44 🌉 鳴門大橋 渦之道
3:03:08 🌊 體驗海潮的震撼
3:09:18 🍱 品嚐鳴門公園在地美食
3:13:09 🏨 大和Roynet 德島站前 飯店開箱
3:14:54 🚄 啟程，前往神戶
3:17:18 🌉 鈴芽之旅聖地巡禮！明石大橋
3:19:23 🏙️ 鈴芽之旅聖地巡禮！二宮筋商店街、二宮商店街、JR新神戶站
3:24:20 🚡 布引香草園、超震撼纜車，鳥瞰神戶港
3:33:45 🏘️ 北野異人館街區
3:38:46 🏨 神戶布倫札酒店開箱
3:40:06 🚄 前往大阪，東橫inn元氣徽章收集之旅
3:43:17 🏨 HOTEL SOBIAL 難波 大國町 開箱
3:44:37 🥞 SOBIAL 飯店 CP值超高的早餐
3:47:00 🏁 結束屬於我們的鈴芽之旅～回家啦～