2023-08-17 | Travelling to Takamatsu

article written on 2023-08-17

## 1st Day: Capsule Hotel Though Japan is just a stone's throw from Korea, I have seldom visited. My first trip was to Osaka during my freshman year of college, a memory now mostly faded. Fast forward 10 years, and I found myself back in Japan. This time, we opted for the road less traveled—**Takamatsu**, situated near Kobe but with a more rural atmosphere. Surprisingly, we encountered hardly any Koreans throughout our trip. It was a favored spot among the Japanese, yet seemingly off the foreign tourist map. English was a rarity here. Upon our arrival, our first stop was the capsule hotel we had booked. The experience was quintessentially Japanese: the 4th floor was lined with 'capsules,' small pod-like beds tightly arranged, and the 7th floor offered a public bath.

1st Day: Capsule Hotel

Though Japan is just a stone's throw from Korea, I have seldom visited. My first trip was to Osaka during my freshman year of college, a memory now mostly faded. Fast forward 10 years, and I found myself back in Japan. This time, we opted for the road less traveled—Takamatsu, situated near Kobe but with a more rural atmosphere. Surprisingly, we encountered hardly any Koreans throughout our trip. It was a favored spot among the Japanese, yet seemingly off the foreign tourist map. English was a rarity here. Upon our arrival, our first stop was the capsule hotel we had booked. The experience was quintessentially Japanese: the 4th floor was lined with 'capsules,' small pod-like beds tightly arranged, and the 7th floor offered a public bath.

## 1st Day: Swimming on Megijima Island During the day, we ferried to Megijima Island. Here, we visited the **Onigashima Cave**, a welcome respite from what felt like the year’s hottest day, with temperatures soaring above 37°C. Later, we cooled off in the nearby sea, a swimming area complete with lifeguards.

1st Day: Swimming on Megijima Island

During the day, we ferried to Megijima Island. Here, we visited the Onigashima Cave, a welcome respite from what felt like the year’s hottest day, with temperatures soaring above 37°C. Later, we cooled off in the nearby sea, a swimming area complete with lifeguards.

## 1st Day: A Japanese Pub After an exhausting day of swimming and hiking, we retreated to an **Izakaya**, a traditional Japanese pub, for dinner.

1st Day: A Japanese Pub

After an exhausting day of swimming and hiking, we retreated to an Izakaya, a traditional Japanese pub, for dinner.

## 2nd Day: Otsuka International Museum On the second day, we were joined by Jinhee and Steve Kang. Now with a car at our disposal, we set out from Takamatsu to **Awaji Island**, a popular vacation spot for locals. The two-hour drive offered stunning views of the sea to our left and mountains to our right. Lunch was a revelation—Donkatsu that was beyond delicious, far surpassing any I’d had in Korea. In the afternoon, we explored the Otsuka International Museum. We hadn't known much about it beforehand, but it was enormous, housing full-scale replicas of renowned art pieces and murals. Despite being reproductions, the sheer volume and accuracy of the works were impressive.

2nd Day: Otsuka International Museum

On the second day, we were joined by Jinhee and Steve Kang. Now with a car at our disposal, we set out from Takamatsu to Awaji Island, a popular vacation spot for locals. The two-hour drive offered stunning views of the sea to our left and mountains to our right. Lunch was a revelation—Donkatsu that was beyond delicious, far surpassing any I’d had in Korea. In the afternoon, we explored the Otsuka International Museum. We hadn't known much about it beforehand, but it was enormous, housing full-scale replicas of renowned art pieces and murals. Despite being reproductions, the sheer volume and accuracy of the works were impressive.

## 2nd Day: Japanese Beef Barbeque That night, we grilled Japanese beef—known for its exceptional quality—at our Airbnb. It was succulent and rich, oozing with flavorful oils.

2nd Day: Japanese Beef Barbeque

That night, we grilled Japanese beef—known for its exceptional quality—at our Airbnb. It was succulent and rich, oozing with flavorful oils.

## 3rd Day: Himeji Castle By the third day, a looming typhoon had brought cooler weather. Despite the unsettling forecast, we pressed on, driving 1-2 hours to Hyogo Prefecture to visit **Himeji Castle**, a World Heritage site. In Japan’s past, these grand castles were both a display of power and strategic military assets, typically built in elevated locations for surveillance. The castle and its expansive gardens were too vast to fully explore on such a hot day, so we retreated to a nearby café for authentic Japanese coffee.

3rd Day: Himeji Castle

By the third day, a looming typhoon had brought cooler weather. Despite the unsettling forecast, we pressed on, driving 1-2 hours to Hyogo Prefecture to visit Himeji Castle, a World Heritage site. In Japan’s past, these grand castles were both a display of power and strategic military assets, typically built in elevated locations for surveillance. The castle and its expansive gardens were too vast to fully explore on such a hot day, so we retreated to a nearby café for authentic Japanese coffee.

## 3rd Day: Onsen Dinner was a delightful spread at a well-known Japanese-Chinese chain restaurant, offering ramen, kyoja, malatoufu, and more—all delicious and affordable. To wind down, we visited a nearby **onsen (hot spring)**, a unique setup extending outdoors, offering city and sky views as we soaked.

3rd Day: Onsen

Dinner was a delightful spread at a well-known Japanese-Chinese chain restaurant, offering ramen, kyoja, malatoufu, and more—all delicious and affordable. To wind down, we visited a nearby onsen (hot spring), a unique setup extending outdoors, offering city and sky views as we soaked.

4th Day: Escape

We awoke at 3 am for a tense drive to Takamatsu Airport. With many flights already canceled due to the approaching typhoon, we were relieved to find ours was still scheduled. We crossed the main bridge to the airport just 10 minutes before it was closed due to the storm—a near miss that could have left us stranded on Awaji Island. Thankfully, we arrived at the airport in time and made our journey home safely.

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