Aren't You Tired Of Japan Yet?

Aren't you bored going to Japan every year? I get asked this question a lot nowadays. Well, just like Malaysia, there are plenty of places in Japan that we have yet to visit. If we are not tired of Malaysia, why should we be for Japan?

Then, the other question I got asked is: you just went to Tokyo, right? There was one time a guy asked whether I've been to Hiroshima and another person chipped in that I couldn't possibly been to Hiroshima yet. Come on now people, just because we never follow a tour group, doesn't mean we can't go to many places. As long as there are public transport, we can go anywhere.

Both Zaini and I have our wish list of places we want to go in Japan but yet to be fulfilled. Zaini wants to visit  Rebun Island and I think a visit to Sado Island would be awesome.

Last week, I spent some time looking at photos of us vacationing in Japan. A recap of some of the places we went to:

Tokyo is a must for every trip and usually served as our base if the places we want to go is doable as a day trip - Kawasaki, Karuizawa, Gala-Yuzawa were all done as a day trip. Here I was at Tokyo Dome.

We love Kyushu and made trips to the Island twice. Our trips to Kyushu saw us going Arao in Kumamoto to visit all the Ultra Heroes at Ultramanland (you can also visit Mitsui Greenland which is next to Ultramanland while you are there), a short visit to Beppu and Kagoshima, an overnight trip to Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki and meeting up with a blogging friend in Moji in Kitakyushu. If you refer to the map below - we've pretty much covered the North, South, East and West of Kyushu island but of course there are so many places there that we want to visit if we get the chance.

 Map from Free World Maps

Raimie at Arao Station in Kumamoto.

Raimie and Zaini at Beppu Station, famous for its hot spring resorts and Kagoshima-Chuo Station.

At Huis Ten Bosch Station and Mojiko Station. Huis Ten Bosh is a Dutch style theme park complete with canals and windmills. Even standing in front of the station makes us feel we are no longer in Japan, what with the magnificent ANA Hotel JR Huis Ten Bosch dominating the view.

I simply love the Mojiko station architecture which was the main reason I wanted to stop at Mojiko before making our way upwards. The station of a Renaissance style is designated as an important cultural property. A visit to Mojiko Retro is highly recommended here.

A visit to Hiroshima would not be complete without a stop at the Peace Memorial Park. Here's Raimie at the Atomic Bomb Dome. There's also a Peace Park in Nagasaki, the second city after Hiroshima to be destroyed by an atomic bomb.

We also went on a short ferry ride to Miyajima. Tame deers that will follow you if you have food in your hand or if you smell like food (we saw a couple of deers that kept sniffing at a fellow tourist's butt), beautiful maple trees and of course the floating torii gate. Be warned though - you will be one of the many, many tourists - local and foreign alike, visiting the island.

Himeji Castle as our backdrop. Himeji is famous for the Himeji Castle, considered to be the most beautiful surviving feudal castle in Japan. A short walk away (about  15 minutes) from the Himeji Station or you can opt to take the bus there.

Perhaps we should make a longer stop in Kyoto; the heart of old traditions and culture of Japan, but truthfully we are not really big fans of visiting temples and shrines and I much more prefer a visit to the local market than the temples.

A day trip from Osaka to Kobe was a fun time for Raimie. Kobe was the film location for the Ultraman Mebius and Ultraman Brothers movie released in 2006.

Osaka - a gastronomic paradise! We even brought back a box full of foodstuff bought here back home. Here, there's another place to please any Ultraman fan located in Yao. Whenever we were in Osaka, a visit to Tsuburaya Jungle is a must for Raimie!

A day trip from Tokyo to Gala-Yuzawa for Raimie to have some fun in the snow and a shopping trip for me in Karuizawa.

In front of Kanazawa station. In Kanazawa, a visit to Kenrokuen which is one the three most beautiful landscaped gardens in Japan is a must. On our two visits to Kanazawa, we had the fortune of experiencing rainy days that somewhat hamper our plans to sightsee the city extensively.

We also made a journey to a small town of Terai, Komatsu just so that we can visit Ultraman Stadium. That's Raimie and Zaini walking along paddy fields en route to the Ultraman Stadium. There's a bus stopping directly in front of the stadium, but we like to do things the hard way because we got to sightsee more that way.

Last year, we went to Nyuto Onsen and here, we were playing by the shore of Lake Tazawa. Another visit to the place is on the cards for this year.

Lastly but not least, a trip to Aizu-Wakamatsu for our ride on a steam locomotive to Niigata. It was really a scenic train ride and we enjoyed it immensely.

Where would we be heading to next? We are limiting our trip to the Tohoku region for this year's trip. But even now, we are having headaches because even in one region there are so many sights and things to visit and do! So, how can we ever be tired of Japan?