My adventures in Japan, 2019

Winter Vacation 2019

I went to Tokushima for the first time and met my friend Saki. But first I met another friend, Hui, in Osaka where she was staying for the night on her travels. Saki was also in Osaka that night, but she was busy taking care of visa stuff.

My hotel in Osaka was really cool. It had a library/lounge.

Day 2: Osaka and Tokushima

Hakata ramen is famous outside of Kyushu, too!

Clever name. :)

Sukiyaki at Suki’s house!

Happy New Year!

Day 3: Hatsumode and Korean BBQ

Saki and her parents are extremely hospitable. I wanted to cry because of how well they took care of me.

This is Saki’s sister-in-law, Saki.

These are Saki’s brother and niece.

Saki’s friends (and my new friends) took us to a shrine and a restaurant.

Day 4: Naruto no Uzushio

Saki’s mom took her and me to see the whirlpools in Naruto. (In case you’re wondering, the manga was named after the place.)

https://open.tube/videos/watch/85a16dd6-0dfd-4ad1-95b1-6ac501931b08
Saki got a pretty good video of the dolphins. We were pleasantly surprised to see them.

https://open.tube/videos/watch/66977c23-7858-4920-b127-46a249ab0ef1

https://open.tube/videos/watch/3a66f123-394a-4f33-b398-7f02d98cbe1c

Next we had lunch at an all-you-can-eat kushikatsu restaurant.

And then we visited the ruins of Tokushima Castle. Saki told me that her high school was nearby so her softball team ran here all the time during practice.

Finally, we explored the new Mega Don Quixote.

Day 5: Iya, Kouchi

Saki visited her brother for the day, and Saki’s parents took me to a few places. The first was a river tour.

The next was the vine bridge (かずら橋) in Nishi Iya

After a snack we drove to Kouchi to see the castle. Originally, I didn’t want to suggest going to Iya because it was a long way away, but Saki’s parents went above and beyond by not only taking me there, but to the other side of Shikoku too!