Shimanami Kaido - Part 2

The second part of the Shimanami Kaido. We're going to continue where we left off, and that is the Ikuchijima Island, the most interesting island compares to others.

I forgot to mention this before. Before crossing to Ikuchijima Island, make sure to stop by at the rest area and eat the Hakata Salt Soft Ice Cream. It's delicious and some people actually come far away to the island to eat the ice cream. There is also one in Hakatajima Island, but it was closed when I passed it (Hakata S.C. Park).

Shimanami Kaido

Shimanami Kaido was the main reason why I went to Shikoku. A few months ago, I had an urge to experience something different, something unique, something challenging during this year. I finally decided to take a journey biking along the Shimanami Kaido.

So what is this Shimanami Kaido ? Shimanami Kaido ( しまなみ海道 ) is an expressway which links the main islands of Honshu and Shikoku through a series of bridges and 6 islands ( Mukaishima, Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Omishima, Hakatajima and Oshima ). The best part about it is that you can travel the Shimanami Kaido by bicycle. Cycling is a very popular way of experiencing the Shimanami Kaido. The bicycle route is well maintained, and there are lots of sign pointing you to the right direction so you don't need to worry about getting lost.

The beginner normal bicycle route is about 70 kilometers long. With a little bit of push, you can travel the route within 8 hours. Along the route, there are plenty of places you can visit such as temples and museums. I ended up cycling up to 100 km long. It was quite tough, but a very rewarding experience.

Usually people starts from Onomichi ( Honshu ) to Imabari ( Shikoku ), but I decided to go the other way around from Imabari to Onomichi. Click here to see the route that I took.

Due to the amount of photos, I will split the post into two.

Matsuyama Castle

Matsuyama Castle (松山城) is definitely the best Castle I've been in Japan. The castle stands proud above the hill, right in the middle of the town. This castle is one of the preserved castle. It is still original, with a little bit of repair here and there because of the fire long time ago. It also offers you a gorgeous view of the city from the top. There is also a place where you can dress up as a samurai inside. And for non Japanese speakers, rejoice ! All of the history and description have very good English translation. It is a very impressive castle.

Matsuyama

There are four main islands in Japan: Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Shikoku ( 四国 = Four Countries ) is the smallest of the four. It is considered to be the forgotten island among the four. People rarely go to Shikoku. Guide books don't bother mentioning about this island. Even my friend questioning my decision to go to this island.

Let me tell you that Shikoku is Japan's hidden gem. There are lots of thing to do here. Some of them are pretty wild, but if you like outdoor, nature, adventures, and willing to spend some time to venture into the inner part of this place, you will be rewarded with amazing scenic views, natural beauty untouched by human.

I only had a few days off to enjoy the island, but I definitely want to go back to Shikoku again.

I will split the Shikoku review into separated posts, starting from Matsuyama.

Teuchi Udon Kuukai

Last month I had a chance to visit to Shuunan City in Yamaguchi Prefecture for business trip. The city itself doesn't offer any interesting sightseeing spot, however the city does have a lot of delicious food to offer.

One of them that I really want to introduce is the Teuchi Udon Kuukai (手打うどんくうかい), the best udon that I've had eaten so far.

Oshino Hakkai

Oshino (忍野) is a small village in Yamanashi Prefecture. The village used to be a lake called Lake Utsu (宇津湖). Lake Utsu used to be the biggest lake surrounding Mount Fuji. When Mt. Fuji erupted around 800 AD, the lava from Mt. Fuji split the lake into two, Lake Yamanaka (山中湖) and Lake Oshino. Later, the lake Oshino dried up, but the eight spring (pond) still remain and they are called Oshino Hakkai (忍野八海).

The spring waters are underground water that flowed down from Mt. Fuji. When the snow melt into water from the top of Mt. Fuji, it got filtered down the mountain through layers of lava, traveling for over 80 years to finally spring at Oshino Hakkai, resulting a very pure, clear water.

The purity of the water is the proud of the locals. It is said that the water is one of the best waters in Japan.

Fuji Shibazakura

I first set my eyes on Fuji Shibazakura Matsuri two years ago, right after I went to Hitsujiyama Park Shibazakura. The harmony between mount Fuji and Shibazakura are so mesmerizing that I promised myself that I will definitely go to this place. Last month, I finally able to visit this place. Unfortunately, the weather was not perfect. No blue sky and a bit cloudy. A shame, but nevertheless it's still a gorgeous place.

Doraemon Museum

Japan has so many interesting museums, from Ramen to Gyoza museum, from Parasite to Dinosaur museum, and from Bandai to Ghibli museum. Regardless of your age and interests, you will be able to find some museums that are worth the visit. For Doraemon's fans, the Fujiko F Fujio Museum is definitely a place I would recommend.

The Fujiko F Fujio Museum, also known as Doraemon Museum, was first opened on September 3, 2011. The museum is still new and a bit small, but it has its own charm, especially if you're a big fan of Doraemon.

20th Anniversary with Danbo

Danbo !! <3

Sakura Shinjuku Gyoen

My favorite season, the Sakura Season, is here. A couple of years ago while I was still living in Indonesia, I really had no idea why people always making such a big deal about Sakura. The whole idea of enjoying flowers kinda felt like a stupid and girly idea back then. Only after coming to Japan, I could truly understand the joy of watching flowers and Sakura immediately became my favorite flower. And during this time, I would feel really bad if I don't spend time blogging about it. :D

Tonki - Tonkatsu Restaurant

Tonkatsu, deep fried pork cutlet, is no doubt one of my favorite Japanese foods. Why, oh why, does fried food taste so delicious ? Tokyo offers lots of Tonkatsu restaurants. The most famous one is probably Wako, a nationwide chain Tonkatsu restaurant. However, when we talk about personal recommendation, there are two places I would recommend. One is Katsukura in Shiodome, and the other one is Tonki in Meguro.

Wonhobby Broadcast International

At the end of each Wonder Festival, Good Smile Company usually has a live broadcast called Nama Wonhobby. Last Sunday, for the very first time, they started an English version of it called Wonhobby Broadcast International Ver at Good Smile Tetsujin Cafe in Akihabara. The broadcast was hosted by Danny Choo and Ferlyn Yoshimi using Nico Nico Douga. I was impressed how they both managed to pull it off without taking a break at all for more than four hours. No toilet break either !

The broadcast managed to reach 5000 viewers and 70000 comments. Impressive numbers. The broadcast also had Aki Takanori (Good Smile Company's Big Boss), Akiyama-san (General Manager of Good Smile Company), Digitaro (Nitroplus' Boss), and Matsuura Hiroaki (Sanjigen's Boss).

Culture Japan HQ

It all began one day when I noticed that Chun, a very talented doll fashion designer, was tweeting from Akihabara, Tokyo. I contacted her immediately and we all ended up invading Culture Japan HQ. XD

iPhone 4S

I finally upgraded my iPhone from 3GS to 4S a few weeks ago. I've been trying my hard to resist the temptation to upgrade my iPhone when iPhone 4 came out last year. I couldn't get it because I was stuck with my 2 years contract at that time. When iPhone 4S came out, I still had a couple of months left in my contract. Luckily, Softbank had a free upgrade plan from 3GS to 4S. And that's how I got my iPhone 4S.

I always wanted a pocket camera that I could bring with me everywhere I go. I don't want to bring my DSLR with me because it's heavy and I definitely couldn't bring it to my work. I could get a pocket camera, but a camera with a good quality, reasonable price, and light weight is pretty hard to find. The iPhone is the answer to that. I love the idea of using your phone as a camera which means I could bring it with me everywhere I go.

Oohara Naked Festival

Wait, Naked Festival ?? Well, don't worry. The men weren't entirely naked. Every year in Isumi City, Chiba Prefecture, the Japanese people celebrates the Oohara Hadaka ( Naked ) Festival. The festival is celebrated by hundreds of nearly naked males and females to wish for the good luck and the prosperity of the year. It is by far the most interesting festival I've ever seen.

Yoyogi in Black and White

It was Sunday, another day of scorching heat. No matter how hot it was, it couldn't stop me and my partner in crime, Derek, to do a photowalk at Yoyogi Koen. We walked ( a lot ! ), took photos, ate Biryani rice at Indian / African Festival, watched basketball match, and practiced some Juujutsu.

Goutokuji - The Maneki Neko Legend

The Maneki Neko ( 招き猫 = The Beckoning Cat ) is a Japanese cat sculpture, usually made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good fortune and wealth. If you come to Japan, you will be able to see Maneki Neko in shops, restaurants, pachinko, banks, offices, houses, etc. The Maneki Neko is also one of the famous souvenirs from Japan. You could also found Maneki Neko as piggy banks, keychains, straps, and other miscellaneous ornaments.

招き猫は日本の猫の彫刻です。招き猫は福を招くとして商家、銀行、事務所などで飾る縁起物です。招き猫は有名な日本のお土産です。彫刻だけでわなくて招き猫の貯金箱、キーホルダー、ストラップなどもある。

There are many stories regarding the origin of Maneki Neko. The three famous legends are the Goutokuji, Imado, and Yoshiwara.

招き猫の由来はいくつ説があるけど豪徳寺と今戸神社と吉原説が一番有名です。

Takano Fruits Parlor

There are many All You Can Eat restaurant in Tokyo, such as the Guts Soul for the meat lover. For those of you fruits lover, let me introduce you a fruits buffet restaurant called Takano Fruits Parlor.

東京には食べ放題レストランが多いです。例えば,、Guts Soul、焼き肉食べ放題レストランです。Guts Soulは肉好きの方にとっておきのレストランです。果物好きの方にタカノフルーツバーを紹介する。

Wonder Festival 2011 Summer Coverage

Here's the full coverage of Wonfes Summer 2011. Continuing from the previous post, this summer Wonfes was held in Makuhari Messe (幕張メッセ), Chiba, on July 24th. I was actually forgot about the Wonfes, luckily Danny called and invited me to come. Otherwise, you probably will never see this post. ^^;

Wonder Festival Summer 2011 - One Piece and Harry Potter

Wonder Festival (Wonfes) is the largest annual event displaying and selling garage kit and figures of anime, mecha, and game characters. Took hundreds of photo yesterday and still haven't finished processing all photos. Will do the coverage, but meanwhile, enjoy some One Piece and Harry Potter figures. Aokiji looks amazing here.