Shirahama beach - They imported the sands from Australia

Another holiday post!, it looks like I've been on a holiday every month. The last two months was more like a business trip rather than a true holiday. 

In August my lab don't have the routine meeting we do every tuesday and friday, because it's summer holiday even the professor take holiday in August (usually during お盆). I almost never take the holiday in August since I started my study, but this year I decided to take several days. I wanted to go to Okinawa actually, but my friend said she couldn't come with me. Instead of Okinawa we decided to visit shirahama; a city in Wakayama prefecture just 3 hours bus ride from Osaka. Having a late summer holiday apparently was not a good choice, the bad weather ruined half of our holiday.

I read that the sand's beach heri is imported from Australia. I didn't know that we can import sands, LOL!!!. it was saturday when we visited the beach so yup it was really crowded, the water is a little bit cold and no wave like beach in Bali. I was expecting a wavy beach since it is a pacific ocean sea, guess I need to manage my expectation next time. Been live here for 3 years and had my expectation betrayed many times.

Shirahama 

The Australian sands at night

We stayed at the japanese ryokan (hotel) it's pretty expensive 11.000 yen/night/person included dinner and breakfast. The hotel has a semi open air public bath (温泉) which is not bad in my opinion, though maybe not as good as kinosaki onsen. For dinner we had seafood BBQ like squid, shrimp, scallops and some veggies. Not many things to do at night in this small city, I would suggest just make a one day trip to this city. We were bored to death at night, we walked around the city for like one hour then came back to the hotel and just read book (Thank God I brought my book)

Seafood BBQ for dinner

Second day was pretty much hampered by the rain. We went to the sandanbeki, a rock cliff by the sea. there is an elevator to go down the cliff and see inside the cave which used to be a naval base. To visit the cave was a unique experience to me. they turn the cave into a temple and museum. You have to pay 1300yen if you wanna go to the cave.

5 minutes walk from sandanbeki is senjojiki, which is a wide flat sheet-rocks formation that you can walk on it. it s located along the coast, it's really wide. It was rainy day when we visited but still it's safe to walk. 

Another place to visit is 円月島, a rock islet in the sea with the hole in the center. from far away i looks like a 円 kanji.

One day trip is enough to explore this city, the three major tourist attraction are not located away from each other. The shirahama beach and engetsu islet is only 5 mins walk from the shirahama bus centre, while sandanbeki is 10 minutes bus ride from the bus centre. there is another place name Adventure world, which is a zoo i think, I did not visit this place more like i did not plan to visit adventure world, the admission fee to adventure world is 4000 yen, too expensive for a zoo but you can see a panda which is rent from china. 

Shirahama can be reach by plane, train or bus. If you are coming from Kansai Area bus is the best transportation choice. return bus from Osaka cost 5500 yen, one way train from Osaka to shirahama cost 5000 yen. it's 3,5 hours by bus and 2,5 hours by train from Osaka to shirahama. Resort hotel mostly located around the beach area and it's expensive.

In september we have this silver week holiday from from saturday to wednesday, I don't have any plan yet for this holiday but for sure I will not just stay in Osaka. ;)

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出雲 (Izumo-shi) ~ A sacred place in Japan

Another conference in another city. This time I got a chance to visit Izumo-shi, I really don't know anything about this city, to be honest this is the first time I heard the name Izumo. It is located in Shimane prefecture on the japan sea coast and home for the infamous Izumo-taisha which is the oldest shrine in Japan. Nothing much to see in this city, You should go to other city like Matsue (the capital of Shimane prefecture) if you want more attraction. 

Izumo can be reach by plane or shinkansen. There are flights from Osaka(itami Airport) and Tokyo to Izumo airport. If you wish to go by shinkansen, you can take shinkansen until Okayama then from Okayama you can continue with rapid train(or bus) to Izumo-shi station (around 3 hours). I went by plane (around 25000円 return), only Japan Airlines (JAL) operates the flight to Izumo. Hotels are mainly located around JR izumo-shi station.

I wanted to visit other city like Matsue, but I only have short time. I stayed for one night and only managed to visit the shrine after the conference had finished. I arrived at noon 10.30, it was only 30 minutes flight from Itami airport (Osaka) to Izumo airport. 

Local Cuisine, yes this is my favourite part for each trip. Izumo is famous for its Izumo soba, and izumo soba is the first thing I ate when I arrived. From my opinion izumo soba is more chewy than others soba, taste wise is not much different, it tastes soba anyway. the most popular is this three stack of soba with three deifferent topping, I forget the japanese name for this menu (mariko soba~if I correct). Ah...I remember the soba soup in Izumo taste sweeter than others.

Izumo soba

The second famous local cuisine is a desserts "ぜんさい” (Zensai); mochi serves with Azuki (sweet red beans), It can be serves cold or room temperature. Since it was very hot and sunny when I visited the shrine, so I ordered the cold one. I don't really like Azuki honestly, too sweet for me. But this time with shaved-ice it wasn't so sweet at all. Both of the soba restaurant and the desserts cafe that I visited are located in front of the Izumo-shrine, near the starbucks. 

zensai

Izumo shrine can be reach by bus or train from izumo station or matsue station. I took the bus from Izumo eki that costed 470 yen, but if you don't pick the bus ticket when you get on the bus you have to pay 520 yen. It is 30 minutes bus ride and during the ride all you can see is wine yard or rice fields. I got off at izumo-taisha mae bus stop then walked about 10-15 minutes to reach the gate. 

The main gate to the shrine

 Walk again for 10 minutes, only by then you'll see the worship hall  with a straw rope hung across half of its length. I forgot to mention that along the road that approaching  the shrine you'll see the statue of okuninushi . 

Statue of okuninushi 

worship hall (small one)

Worship Hall, with the biggest straw rope hung across 

Behind the worship hall you will see the Main Hall which stand 24 meters tall, but my supervisor who came with me said that the original was higher than that. We can't enter the main hall but you can walk around the outer fence of the main hall then you'll see some small shrine/old building.

The main Hall

The gate to the main hall

One of the small shrine/house outside the main hall

 Behind the main hall you will see this cute rabbit statue in a various state. There is this mythology about Okuninushi and the rabbit. But they are really cute, I like the praying rabbit one.

After finished with the shrine, we walked 20 minutes to the old JR taisha station. This station was closed in 1990 but they keep and maintain the original building and turned it into a museum. It was creepy actually, they have this old locomotive that was built in showa 17th (japanese year) and used for 32 years. 

Short trip, but I am glad to have the opportunities to visit this grand shrine. Maybe if I don't have conference here, I wouldn't visit this shrine. I didn't know that it is a sacred shrine. My next conference is in Fukuoka for 3 nights 4 days in fukuoka. I went this may to Fukuoka, I'll try to visit places that is not popular tourist destination in Fukuoka.

~~Never let your memories bigger than your dreams~~ An inspiring quote I read today from IG user.

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Kobe fireworks 2014

It's been a long time since i updated this blog. Been very busy recently, and plus i kinda very actively engage in tumblr. Anyway, in Japan summer means fireworks everywhere, yes you won't even get fireworks during new year celebration in Japan which is weird for me because every part of the world has fireworks for new year eve.

Every perfecture in Japan has their annually fireworks show during summer, I'm a regular attendance for the biggest fireworks show in Kansai area which is held in yodogawa Osaka every summer. But this year i want to experience other show in other city too. My first was Kobe fireworks show, which was held in kobe harborland near kobe port. The crowds wasn't big because i still can find a place even though i came very late like 6PM. That Things that doesn't happen everytime i come to yodogawa festival.

Finding food is very difficult, actually my plan was to ate dinner at the seafood restaurant while enjoying the fireworks. But they blocked all access to the mosaic mall, so i ended up eating 300¥ karaage from the food stall.

The fireworks show began at 19.30 and ran for 1 hour. Well they started very dull with small fireworks and some with difference shape which i couldn't recognize. It ididn't get bigger as the show goes on, though there are some big blast in the sky. One of the funny thing i experienced was the japanese girls screaming 'matte, matte'( means wait in english) because they hadn't prepared their camera but the fireworks already explode, LOL!. Usually you would hear them say ' sugoii' ' kireii' .

I took picture but the quality wasn't good since i only depends on my iphone 4S and my ipad 4th G. I have something better to share the video of the fireworks show.

http://youtu.be/q5PbFvN8i1o

http://youtu.be/2ukxan-JPWs

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