In the morning I left Niigata prefecture after a fun, but too short evening. We visited an Izakaya in the village he lives in, which was another forty minutes away from Niigata city. The next morning I headed to Tokyo once more. The Max Toki Shinkansen is the only two-story super express train in Japan.
Let me tell you another reason I did not visit many cultural sites in Kyoto. Kanazawa has many too and they are way more enjoyable to visit. I was surprised to see that Kanazawa is such a nice place to stay at, I certainly need to come again.
When you ever plan to visit Kyoto, better do not ask me for advice. Probably the city to visit for its manifold cultural background Kyoto is a must see on any trip to Japan. Still, this time I passed on many famous sights and did spend less than 24 hours before heading on. But I have my reasons.
The route coming from Beppu might not have been the shortest, but I still arrived just two hours later at the southernmost major city of Kyushu after taking the Shinkansen from the very north. I can hardly stop praising the excellent train service.
Moving to the northeastern part of Kyushu I arrived in Beppu, famous for its Onsen, using the Sonic limited express. With one transfer north of Fukuoka I needed two hours for the trip.
No city, company or touristic site is genuinely Japanese unless it has a mascot. For Kumamoto that is Kumamon.
The train ride with the Kamome (Seagull) limited express was quiet enjoyable. The cars had a parquet floor and leather seats, in addition the overhead shelves looked like the ones in airports. The weather changed for the bad and while travelling along the coast line, all I saw was a rainy coastline.
Fukuoka is not much a city for tourists but for shopping and living. While there are few cultural sites, the modern and vibrant city has much to offer besides.
Originally I planned to go to Kyoto on Sunday and visit Tottori on Monday. In the end I changed my plans for both days, so I could meet up with old friends.
On Saturday I went to Osaka, mainly because of the Magical Mirai concert I wanted to attend for a long time. Let me say so much in advance: it was great!
Let me tell you another episode of my life on how to turn bad luck into good one. Or how I will always arrive at my destination even when things go wrong.
Two hours from Noboribetsu the train arrived at its terminal station, Hakodate. It is possible to transfer to a different limited express heading to Honshu via an underground tunnel. The left train serves between Sapporo and Hakodate, the green one to Aomori on Honshu.
After the luxury dinner yesterday I retreated to my room in the fourth floor. A yukata and sandals (geta) were prepared for the onsen visit. I made particularly sure to wear it the correct way. After changing I went to the hotel next-door. First, it was a bit strange to walk outside like this, but I was readily joined by other onsen visitors.
My third day of my trip also marks the last in Sapporo. Today I departed to Noboribetsu.
I managed to catch up some sleep and recover from the jet lag, but I still feel pretty tired. When I checked the time I noticed it was only 6 a.m. That way I had lots of time to write about yesterday. For breakfast I had cold milk coffee and Baumkuchen from the local combini.