PANORAMIC VIEW

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for the open top bus, so we were able to have excellent views of Tokyo. They have translation devices for 8 different languages! The bus drove us around the Minato area and even drove right to the bottom of Tokyo Tower where you can take photos as you drive by. We also drove on the rainbow bridge, Odaiba and Tsukiji, where the fish market used to be. The tour conductor explained all of the sites very well and made me want to visit the sites for myself!

The restaurant was located in a quiet street. The restaurant gave a homey feel, making you feel like you are actually sitting in a Japanese house.
The food was delicious with great flavours, we ordered the course with 9 different yakitori sticks. Each one was unique in their own way and had amazing flavours coming out.

The Tokyo City View is great if you want to see a 360 view of Tokyo without the huge crowds. It’s easy to take many great photos of the Tokyo city views. It was relaxing and a really enjoyable place for me.
From the rooftop Sky Deck you are able to enjoy the open air along with the view. We went when the sun was starting to set so we got a lovely view of Tokyo.

Roppongi is a great and accessible place for tourists, and it is convenient for sightseeing, dining, and shopping, etc.

We first headed to the Hanazono Shrine where there are a lot of lanterns set up. It had a peaceful atmosphere and it is easily accessible, it’s a 5 minute walk from Kabukicho. If you are only staying in the city and still want to see a nice temple or shrine but don’t have time to, this is a nice walk you can take to see one.

The way you order at the Izakaya is very easy, you order what you would like on the screen then send it off to the kitchen. You can order without a waiter! The food came out very quickly and was very delicious. We were able to try out different flaours of gyoza (dumpling) dishes. This is definitely something I would recommend to foreigners coming to Japan as you are able to experience a great dining experience with authentic Japanese food and you’ll be able to order very easily.

We went for a walk in Kabukicho located in Shinjuku, which is where the nightlife is in Japan. Even though it is known for the nightlife, there are a lot of other things to see as well.

The hotel was located right next to the Toho cinemas where the Godzilla landmark is.
If you look outside the window you will see an outstanding view of Shinjuku.
The service was great, we were served breakfast in the morning that was beautifully presented. There was a selection of Japanese dishes so you get a little bit of everything.

The check in process for ANA was fast and efficient with great customer service from the staff members. To board the plane we scanned our QR code, then proceeded to board our flight. Everything was done in a quick and organized manner. As the flight to Yamaguchi is a short one, we were served a selection drinks as refreshments before we landed. The seats on the ANA flight were also very comfortable with plenty of leg room. We arrived on time and luggage came out very fast.

The Kintai bridge is a wooden arch bridge built in 1673 in the Edo period located in Iwakuni. The water is very clear and fresh, you can see the locals fishing too. There is a small fee to cross the bridge, however it is worth it because of the unique design.

The Iwakuni Art Museum is located across the Kintai Bridge and exhibits traditional Japanese culture. You can learn about the way of samurai life by looking at the various types of armor and swords on display. It was such an enjoyable experience as the owner was very excited to show us around and explain everything the museum had on display.

The restaurant Hirasei is located across the road from Kintai Bridge, and the view from the second floor is amazing with a beautiful view of the bridge. It made the atmosphere seem calm. For lunch we were served some traditional Yamaguchi dishes. The presentation of all the dishes was lovely, the food was light but also really filling.

Yanai is a bright town with white walls, and around the town there are gold fish laterns that run for around 200 meters. The lanterns were inspired by the Aomori Nebuta Festival.
In the demonstrations of making lanterns, we were guided step by step along the way, and were able to draw the fins and tail of the fish using ink so it was like calligraphy. It’s a great souvenir to bring home as it’s light and is a cute memory to hang up!

When we arrived at the Five-Storied Pagoda at Rurikoji temple, the sun was just setting so we got to see a spectacular view of the Five-Storied Pagoda. The temple was very peaceful and quiet as we walked around. One particular mystery here was if you stood and clapped at the path leading up to the grave, an echo can be heard. The gardens outside the temple were really well kept and were beautiful.

We stayed at Hagi no Yado Tomoe which was a lovely ryokan (Japanese style inn). The room was very wide and spacious, and it also came with your own private view of a traditional Japanese garden. The hotel also had an onsen (hotspring) that you can enjoy at your leisure.
For dinner, we were served very high quality Japanese cuisine that was amazing. Every single dish had amazing flavours and texture that blended in so well with each other.

As soon as we arrived at the hotel we were greeted, shown to have a seat and were offered drinks for refreshments while checking in. While we were at dinner, the hotel staff had prepared a futon for us to sleep on as soon as we arrived back into our rooms. They were very efficient and we felt very welcomed at the hotel.

At Tokoji temple, the atmosphere was very peaceful and the scenery was very beautiful. Towards the back of the temple you find over 500 lanterns all lined up which are all lit up on August 15th of every year. When you learn the history behind these lanterns, you will be touched to know how much the people admired their lords.

Upon our arrival at Hagi Castle, we were taken on a rickshaw tour where we saw a middle-class samurai house, which actually looked really big.

The house we went to visit was from the Kikuya family, and was told that it is the second oldest house in Japan.
We were shown the guest rooms and were able to see a beautiful view of the Japanese garden. The atmosphere was very peaceful and the view was very relaxing.

The Hagi Meirin Gakusha school building was built for upper-class children in the days when there were still feudal lords in this area and is now a world heritage site. We were able to take a tour of the building where we were shown what students used to use to study. It was very interesting to walk through and see how they were taught back in the day.

We went to Senzaki Kitchen where we could choose our own ingredients to buy. There is a bbq area where you can sit down and grill all your ingredients with an ocean view. We decided to buy ingredients such as vegetables and meat to grill ourselves on the BBQ. It was a nice fun way to enjoy time with others and the view was beautiful.

The Motonosumi Shrine is a hidden treasure in Yamaguchi. It is a shrine next to the sea that is impeccable.There are 123 shrine gates that stand in a row, giving it a stunning view. A unique thing about this shrine is at the gate you throw the coin up to try get it into the box on top of the gate. It has been one of the most beautiful places I have been to in all of Japan.

Tsunoshina Ohashi is the second longest bridge in Japan that connects the main island of Japan to an island, and is famous for its spectacular views.

We visited Nagisanokouban, a non-profit organization that helps clean up beaches, and we experienced various activities near the bridge.
We watched the beautiful dusk darken as we enjoyed water cycling. I would 100% recommend this to everyone coming to Japan, it was such a unique activity that I have never done before and it was very fun!!

We had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel which was a course of Japanese delicacies. We were even served fugu (blowfish) as one of the dishes! The next morning I went down to the breakfast which was a buffet of Japanese and Western dishes. The buffet was excellent with a wide variety of different dishes!

We booked the suite of Otani Sanso in Nagato that had it’s own rotenburo (outdoor hotspring). It had an amazing view of the mountains which I was able to enjoy in the morning. The room was very big with a beautiful view outside.

Akiyoshido is a limestone cave that is the biggest and longest in Japan. The entrance to the cave is located at Akiyoshidai, and the cave extends for 9 km, although only 1 km is open to the public. There are various different sites inside the cave such as limestone pools and waterfalls. At each station inside the cave, there are guides in various different languages.

The Karato market is one of the most popular places to go. At various sushi market stores, you’re able to go outside the area to sit down and eat with an ocean view. It was great because you can pick yourself what you want, and the prices were also very decent with a wide selection of different sushi.

The Chofu Mori Mansion was the home of Chofu Mori, and is a spacious home with many rooms. They also had various Japanese gardens in the house that were breathtaking. We were there for a traditional clothing experience, so we were able to wear an outfit of a “court lady”. The staff were very friendly making sure the outfit was perfect. We were then able to go outside to the beautiful Japanese gardens to take photos and also enjoy the views.

All the spots we went to were enjoyable and very unique, things you cant see or do outside of Yamaguchi. The food that was served on this trip was excellent as well as the hotels we stayed in. It was great to see the busy Tokyo life then see a contrast to that and visit the peaceful Yamaguchi. I would definitely recommend this trip to other travellers.