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Japan 2026

Wednesday October 21 – Matsuyama to Tokyo

October 21, 2026 Michelle

Woke up around 7:30 this morning and just had a donut and coffee in my room for breakfast. Caught a taxi to the airport for our flight to Haneda. Matsuyama airport was bigger than I thought. We checked our luggage and went for a coffee before going through security.

Went through security which was very orderly and waited by our gate. There was a little room near the gate with a single chair and a blind you could pull down if the general area became too much 😄.

Boarding was very orderly. They board all window seats first, then middle and then aisle. Another 787 plane but most of the middle seats were empty as well as more seats near the back.

As we were descending into Haneda you could see some views of Tokyo including the Skytree.

Took the Keikyu-Kuko line to Nihombashi, near our hotel. Not too crowded as it was an express train that didn’t stop at all the stations. Had some issues with the exit Google maps recommended but made it to the hotel with only a few minutes delay.

We were able to check in right away. Room is very nice and large. No views though.

My room has a white board for me to doodle on as well 😆.

Took a brief break to freshen up and then walked to Marilyn’s company’s Japan office about 15 minutes away to see her coworkers.

After a brief visit we took the subway to near the Imperial Gardens to get some photos.

Went into Tokyo Station and stopped at a Hamburger Steak place in the station where you grill you own food. Ordered a hamburger set.

After dinner walked a few blocks back to the hotel.

Early night tonight as feeling a bit run down. Grabbed a pale ale and worked on my blogs and watched some TV.

Japan 2026

Tuesday October 20 – Matsuyama

October 20, 2026 Michelle

Woke up this morning with a slightly sore throat so hope I’m not getting sick! Went down for breakfast at the hotel breakfast bar. This area’s specialty is sea bream on rice so I had that with some pickles and little dishes.

After breakfast stopped at a pharmacy to pick up some cold medicine to hopefully stop it from starting. We then headed to the Matsuyama Castle ropeway. Took the ropeway up and climbed the rest of the way to the castle grounds. This castle is much higher up that the one in Kochi.

Went into the castle and climbed up the narrow stairs to the top floors. Definitely a lot more tourists here than in Kochi.

They had some photos of the castle with the moon and fireworks.

After climbing down we stopped for a drink as it is super hot 29C and pretty humid today. Wished I had brought my portable fan!

Decided to take the chairlift down. Seemed a bit scary as there was no bar to hold you in.

We then stopped at a little izakaya for lunch. The owner was a former professional snowboarder. I had the fried oysters set which was really good.

We then took the bus to the Dogo Onsen area. Walked around a bit but didn’t really feel like going in with piles of tourists and I was starting to feel worn out.

Took the bus back and took a nap in my room.

Wasn’t feeling particularly hungry so we ended up just getting some food from 7- Eleven. I had some seafood noodles which were okay.

Want to go to the onsen for one last soak but think I should probably just rest as we have our flight to Tokyo tomorrow morning.

Japan 2026

Monday October 19 – Kochi to Matsuyama

October 19, 2026 Michelle

Woke up around 7:45 today to a rainy day. Got ready and went for a quick breakfast of miso soup, rice with bonito flakes and some pickles and some chicken and potatoes (I think).

Relaxed a bit after breakfast before checking out just before 11. Managed to fill up the car and head to a stop for lunch on the way to Matsuyama. Some light, periodic rain but not too bad as half the time we were in tunnels. Stopped at a small Michi no Eki that mainly had only bathrooms and vending machines. Looks like a farmer market may be there at times. There was also an onsen on the other side of the road that may be the reason people stop there.

Carried on to our lunch stop, which proved slightly challenging to get to as the car GPS didn’t seem to have the stop so we pulled into a gas station but this one was full serve so the people ran out to guide us to a spot and we topped up the tank. Got the destination into my phone Google maps and we made it to the stop. Was a road service area right off the expressway with bathrooms, a gas station, a little market and a restaurant area. I ordered the “special set” which had some chicken, salad, rice and miso soup. We then got an ice cream cone for dessert. Very creamy soft serve here – definitely better than DQ!

Used the washrooms, which had an electronic board to tell you which stalls are free! Bathrooms everywhere are very clean. You can see how many times a day they check them. The family bathroom had a small toilet and urinal for kids.

Family bathroom with small toilet and urinal for kids

We considered checking out the Towel Museum a bit to the north as my Google maps said it was 22 min away in the restaurant but in the car it said 45 min so we decided that would be a bit tight as we had to return the car by 5. Apparently the area is known for its high quality towels.

It seemed getting on the expressway for the road station was not as easy as one would think as we seemed to have to drive 15-20 km back the way we came, exit the expressway, pull a u-turn and get back on. Managed to get going the right way and carried on to Matsuyama. Quite a bit of various road works – trimming greenery, changing light bulbs in tunnels and some repaving but you only slightly slow down and there were no delays.

The road to the rental return at the Matsuyama airport proved equally odd as you seemed to have to drive in circles. We made it to the Toyota Rent a Car and they were super efficient. They had gas on site so you stop in front of the pump and they fill it and give you a ticket with the cost. Then you pull up where they take the toll card and keys and you wait inside. The lady at the counter calls you and has the gas receipt and a print out of the toll charges. Charges and gas were about $115 so not too bad.

We took the rental car shuttle bus to the airport and caught a taxi to the hotel in town. Our hotel is centrally located, right in a covered shopping arcade.

Checked in to the hotel and put some wash in and then checked out the outdoor onsen while waiting for our wash.

After the onsen relaxed in the room waiting for the wash to dry. The TV has information on the ‘laundry situation’ to let you know the time elapsed.

‘Laundry situation’ in the women’s only area

Bought a peach alcoholic drink from the hotel vending machine to enjoy while waiting for the wash.

After our wash was done we walked across from the hotel to an izakaya that looked good and had private rooms. You placed your order from your phone and the food and drinks appeared shortly after. There was a large group of workers across the hall from our room that seemed to be having a rowdy celebration of some kind. Had a couple of beers and a number of dishes. They give you a salad as a ‘cover charge’.

Free ice cream for leaving a Google review

Food and service was good and was nice to go somewhere close. Arcade was still pretty lively.

Headed back to the hotel to relax and update my blog. We’ll have a day of sightseeing around Matsuyama tomorrow.

Japan 2026

Sunday October 18 – Kochi

October 18, 2026 Michelle

Slept in until 7:15 as forgot to set my alarm. Got ready and had breakfast at the hotel buffet included. Had some pickles and egg and bonito flakes on rice, a local specialty, as well as some chichen and a chicken meatball cooked in yuzu.

After breakfast got ready for some sightseeing. Looking out my window, I noticed a car parked on the “sidewalk” across the street so I think I was okay yesterday 😆.

Cloudy today with a chance of rain so we bought some umbrellas at the 7-Eleven before heading out.

As we were walking noticed a civic building that appeared to be a tsunami evacuation area. We also noticed a number of towers yesterday driving along the coast that appeared to be used if a tsunami hits.

Walked to the Sunday market, which had a bunch of local vendors, a lot were selling fruit, vegetables and fish but there were some other locally made items. The vendors were very friendly – one gave us a golden kiwi to taste. I bought a cute little handmade cat from a nice lady and a pencil case at another vendor.

After the market, we walked through a shopping arcade and stopped at a Daiso and then Starbucks for a drink. I got some kind of very creamy tea latte.

Also popped into a claw machine shop, which had all kinds of weird stuff in the claw machines including toilet paper, fruit, vibrators, toys, pop, mayonnaise…

We carried on to the Kochi Castle Museum to learn more about the castle and history. Museum was in a new flashy building and had some good exhibits.

At the end they had an interactive area where you could practice calligraphy with water pens.

We then headed to the Hirome Market for lunch. The market is kind of like a giant food court with various shops selling different, mostly local foods, with central eating areas.

I was going to try the whale cutlet stall but ended up getting some ramen and gyoza.

The stall was beside a stall selling Indian food, run by Indians. The lady at the gyoza shop sat us in front of the shop and then two other ladies, eating the Indian food, joined us. They were using Google translate as they wanted to ask where we were from but I was able to answer as they were chatting about how to ask that on English. We ended up having a conversation with them about our trip and where we live. They were both local from Kochi.

Afterwards we headed up to the castle to tour around. They had a few exhibits within the tour.

After the castle we headed back to the hotel for a quick rest. Not too many restaurants near the hotel that are open on Sunday so we ended up checking out the hotel restaurant, which was not too bad. I had the pork and bonito set and a yuzu pale ale.

After dinner headed back to the room to rest. Have a relaxing driving day tomorrow.

Japan 2026

Saturday October 17 – Iya Valley to Kochi

October 17, 2026 Michelle

Woke up this morning when my alarm went off around 7 am. Got my stuff organized and packed and headed down to breakfast. Was a Japanese style breakfast included with our plan, which included a chicken hot pot and a milk custard for dessert.

Took a few photos of the spacious room.

Checked out and got in the car to face the winding road again.

Drove to a Giant Cedar tree about 45 minutes from the hotel. Had to take a narrow road a few hundred yards up to the parking lot.

We then stopped at a small Michi no Eki just down the road. After that we headed south towards Kochi but went to the east along the coast. Was supposed to be some kind of park but the GPS led us to some residence area so we headed back towards a different lookout, stopping at another Michi no Eki.

We then stopped at a nice viewpoint to take some photos of the ocean along. Was a bit concerned with the sign warning about the snakes and bees!

We then drove a few kilometers down the road to a restaurant, overlooking the ocean, for a late lunch stop. I had the mayo shrimp and chicken set along with a melon float.

We then carried on into Kochi, which seemed pretty busy for the population. A bit scary pulling into our hotel as there didn’t appear to be a clear way in off the main road and I may have been on the sidewalk at one point. We decided to go around back and there was an attendant there that guided us to where to park.

Have a nice view of Kochi Castle from my room. Today has been warm and sunny – 28C but it looks like we may get a couple days of rain coming.

Pretty full from the late lunch so just gave a beer and an onigiri and ice cream fun the 7-Eleven next to the hotel. Feeling tired so will get to bed early..

Quite a bit of driving today.

Japan 2026

Friday October 16 – Iya Valley

October 16, 2026 Michelle

Woke up this morning around 4 am but went back to sleep until my alarm went off at 6:45. Got ready and had some udon and tempura for breakfast with some iced coffee at the hotel buffet.

We then checked out and caught an Uber to the Toyota Rent a Car office near the station. Got the same car as last year in Hokkaido, Toyota Corolla Touring.

After inspecting the car, we headed out, first stopping at a Michi no Eki on the way for a drink and bathroom break. This one had a large market with a lot of food for sale.

We then carried on to Naruto Park on the northeast tip of the island. Unfortunately, we were right in the middle of the high and low tides so we couldn’t see the whirlpools but they did have a walkway under the large bridge that goes to Kobe.

Glass bottom from the bridge walk to see down!

After the walk we headed back on the road to head to our hotel in the Iya Valley. Took the Tokushima expressway for a while before turning off to the road towards Kochi. Lots of tunnels but the longest was only 2.4 km.

We stopped at a roadside area that had a 7-Eleven for a light lunch. I tried a very good breaded egg yolk in ground meat snack, which was kind of like a scotch egg.

We then carried on, now alongside a gorge with little villages on the edge. A bit dicey driving as the roads we narrow and there were some big trucks coming the opposite way that seemed to be going way faster than the 40 km speed limit!

We then turned up a road to head to the hotel that was going uphill with some crazy switchbacks. There was a tour bus ahead of us that let us pass in the sole “passing” lane, which was more like half a lane so the passing, while still taking winding corners was a bit nerve racking! Thankfully, no tour busses or large trucks were coming the opposite was during the turns.

We then stopped and took a few photos at a pullout after we got to the top and started heading down.

A few minutes later we arrived at our hotel.

Checked in to our large suite.

After getting to our room we headed to the outdoor onsen, which you take a little cable car up to.

After the onsen, relaxed in the room for a bit with an Asahi before getting ready for dinner.

Went for our Iya Tasting menu dinner at the hotel restaurant, which had a number of courses with local ingredients including soba noodles.

After dinner we booked the night tour to go to the Vine bridge and the Biwa Waterfall that are just down the road from the hotel. Just a 30 minute tour on a little bus run by the hotel.

After the tour another trip to the indoor onsen before bed.

Japan 2026

Thursday October 15 – Takamatsu

October 15, 2026 Michelle

Slept right through to my alarm at 7 am this morning and snoozed until 7:30 before getting up to get ready. The water pressure in this shower is amazing!

Went down to the included breakfast buffet and had some udon soup with tempura and various pickle dishes. This is the same chain I stayed at around Hokkaido and their breakfast buffets include local specialities.

Was a great day to head to the Ritsurin Garden – sunny and 23 C. After breakfast we walked to the garden, which was about 10 minutes from the hotel by foot.

Spent about 3.5 hours walking around the garden, stopping for a drink.

The park is large and a national site. Not a lot of flowers but was very scenic and not crazy busy. A few tour groups including some Americans on a cruise stop.

Saw a lot of koi and some turtles. A few little shops and cafes inside the park to stop at and there’s a little boat that goes around one of the ponds.

After the garden, we stopped at a very local izakaya on the way back to the hotel. You grabbed some little items and could order udon or rice separately. No English or photos but I managed to order the rice and beer without issue 😆. The lady asked us where we were from and I was able to tell her so she seemed very impressed that I could speak some Japanese. Had a little lunch and a beer before heading back towards the hotel.

Stopped at the Family Mart across from the hotel and grabbed some drinks and snacks.

Went to the hotel onsen on the 11th floor for a soak and steam sauna while we put some laundry in to wash. This hotel has the laundry conveniently located in the onsen area. Enjoyed a soda flavored popsicle afterwards.

After a bit of a break we headed out to explore a bit before grabbing dinner. Took the bus down towards the water and then walked past the castle as the sun was setting.

Decided to try a local place for dinner that served the local special bone-in chicken. Definitely very local oriented as there was a customer smoking at the table next to us that seemed like he goes there a lot. Ordered the young chicken set, which came with oden to start followed by the chicken with cabbage.

The chicken was very flavourful and tender and the beer and cabbage helped cut through the fat. The elderly lady cooking gave us each a lollipop on our way out!

Caught an Uber back to the hotel to relax and have an early night. Picking up the rental car tomorrow to head to Iya Valley.

Japan 2026

Wednesday October 14 – Nikko to Takamatsu

October 14, 2026 Michelle

Woke up around 4 this morning, probably mostly due to the fact I went to bed at 9 pm, but stayed in bed and feel back asleep until 6:20. Got up and got packed before heading down for breakfast. Was a Japanese breakfast that included fish, onsen egg, natto, rice, salad and chicken cooked in soy milk. Very good and a lot of food!

After breakfast had a brief rest to finish yesterday’s blog before heading out. Along the drive back to the main road we stopped at a dam. In the little museum we found there were 3 other sister dams in the area and they had a pamphlet where you could collect stamps from all four so we did a mini stamp rally and visited all the dams!

The last dam was down a very narrow and winding road and had a 300m walk from the parking lot. It didn’t look like it would be much but it was the most impressive!

After completing our stamp rally we started driving back to Nikko, stopping first at a market near a dairy that had fresh milk products so I got an affigato

After the dairy we continued driving and stopped at a bridge, which was apparently a popular spot for suicides. They have now put up higher barriers but we noticed a bottle of beer and flowers at the end, which appeared to be a memorial for someone. The fall colors were more developed here and it was very scenic.

Once back in Nikko, we stopped at the Kanaya Hotel History House, which was a shoguns residence before being converted to the original Kanaya Hotel in the 1800s. It was interesting and the gardens were very picturesque.

George then dropped us off at the train station where we picked up a bento for the ride back to Asakusa station. I booked is a private compartment to enjoy. I had a chicken bento with a yuzu beer I picked up at the Michi no Eki yesterday.

Once we arrived in Asakusa station we managed to make it to the Asakusa Toei line to Haneda with less than a minute to spare. It was a bit of a haul down a bunch of stairs but not too bad since we only had carry on luggage. It wouldn’t have been the end of the world if we missed that train as I booked a later flight.

Got to Haneda and used their slick self check for the luggage and print a hard copy of our boarding pass. We then went through security – also a breeze! Inside the gates there were a few places to eat but not as many as I would have thought. Ended up hitting up the 7 Eleven for dinner quick bites as we did eat on the train. I got a roe onigiri, some cheesy corn snacks and a Sapporo.

Pretty big plane for an internal flight… 787. Not full but still quite a few people and we boarded in less then 10 minutes and the overhead bins are virtually empty. I could fly economy if I lived in Japan!

Got to our hotel just after 10 pm and checked in. Was thinking about hitting the onsen but feeling kind of sleepy so just grabbed a beer and relaxed a bit before going to bed.

Japan 2026

Tuesday October 13 – Nikko

October 13, 2026 Michelle

Woke up at 5 am this morning but felt like I had a pretty good sleep. The hotel is very comfortable with large rooms and great water pressure in the shower. The toilets and showers are always a highlight of traveling to Japan!

After a shower, had my pastry and iced coffees from the supermarket for breakfast and relaxed for a bit.

After breakfast in the hotel room, George picked us up and took us to the Toushougu Temple, stopping first at the Nikko Kanaya Hotel, which is an old hotel where a lot of famous people stayed, including Albert Einstein and Helen Keller.

We then climbed up to the temple grounds and spent a few hours touring around.

At the start is an area for the portable shrines and there was a sign for a festival on 17th. We noticed them seeing speakers and other stuff up in the area.

After the temple we headed to a very local soba restaurant for lunch. There was a brief wait but it is definitely a place frequented by locals mainly. The elderly ladies working there were pretty impressive carrying around big trays of soba and bending down to the low tables! We had the cold soba with mountain potato paste.

After lunch we did a quick walk the restaurant area where there were some nice trees and an old water wheel.

After the walk we went to grab some sake at a small local liquor store. We also stopped at a Michi no Eki in town to buy some snacks.

On the way to the onsen hotel, we stopped at another Michi no Eki near the village, which had a small local market, onsen and a foot bath.

Got to our ryokan and checked in. We then checked out the onsen. This hotel has 4 private onsen (2 outdoor and 2 with open windows) plus the public ones. Tried one of the outdoor ones first.

After the onsen, we went for a walk around the village and up to a historical site, which was where early shoguns had fled to in the past. It was very quiet and tranquile and there were some exhibits, explaining the history.

Along the walk we noticed a giant wasp nest on a building, made by those wasps we saw the other day, stripping bark off the tree. Looked like they were not at home!

The village we are in is built around a river and is very scenic. There is an illumination festival going on now where the river and the historic area we visited are lit up at night.

After the walk we took another visit to the onsen and then enjoyed some beer and sake in the lounge with our post onsen popsicle.

After the snacks and drinks we headed down for our dinner. Lots of courses in the set menu, including grilled fish and rice puff, rice with chestnuts and Shabu Shabu.

Was so stuffed and tired after dinner that I ended up going to bed by 9 pm!

Japan 2026

Monday October 12 – Nikko

October 12, 2026 Michelle

Woke up just before 2 am and could not fall back asleep until after 4:30 even though I felt tired. Must have been the lengthy ‘nap’ I had on the airplane! Managed to get a few more hours of sleep before the alarm so not too bad all together.

Nice and sunny here in Tokyo in the morning. Having some coffee before we catch the train to Utsunomiya, where my sister’s work friend will pick us up.

Checked out of the hotel and headed to the Shinkansen. Bought an iced coffee and ekiben for breakfast on the train to Utsunomiya. I went for a tuna and roe rice bowl.

Train ride was just over an hour and Marilyn’s friend picked us up at the station to drive us to Nikko. Had some coffee at his vacation house before heading out for a day of exploring. It was a nice little house surrounded by trees in a quiet area.

We were going to go for soba for lunch but it looked pretty busy so we decided to grab a picnic lunch from the supermarket and head up to Lake Chuzenji for a picnic. The lake is up a mountain and the road had a number of switchbacks, each with a different letter of the Japanese alphabet. I was able to demonstrate my Japanese skills but getting them all, apart from a couple of old characters that I had never seen. Those actual had translations for even Japanese people so I didn’t feel too bad 😆.

The lake area was also famous for having a number of embassies around it for the foreign diplomats to come to in the summer when Tokyo summers were too hot. We had our lunch near the English and Italian embassies, which are now museums.

After lunch we toured the museums, which had some nice views of the lake.

Walking back we noticed a tree with the bark removed at the bottom and it appeared to be being stripped by some extremely large bees/wasps. There was a bunch of warning tape around it so we didn’t linger too long!

We then drove around the lake and up to an area with some natural sulphur hot springs where we saw a bunch of monkeys and some deer.

Hot spring

We then stopped at a couple of different waterfalls on the way to our hotel.

On the way back down the mountain we drove over the ‘Monkey magic road’, which is a section that has bumps in the road that make a melodic tune as you drive over! Kind of sounded like the monkeys screaming 😆

Checked into the hotel and had a brief break to update my blog before dinner.

Went for dinner at a local tonkatsu restaurant, Tonkatsu Azuma.

After dinner we stopped at a supermarket to pick up some food for breakfast. As it was late in the day, there were big discounts so the pastry I got was around 50 cents! Was neat to look at all the produce and meat and fish products. The prices were so reasonable and the quality looked amazing!

Back to the hotel for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow we will do some more exploring before heading to our onsen ryokan further north.