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You'd think that having lived in Melbourne so long, my friends and I would know to check the weather forecast and plan accordingly, but despite knowing that there would be some bad weather associated with a low pressure system hitting the south of Japan today, we didn't think to bail from the island yesterday... and this morning's ferries are now all cancelled.
Luckily I was able to change our ticket to an afternoon ferry but it means I might get to my accommodation in Hiroshima rather late tonight - assuming the ferry even runs, because there's every chance it might be cancelled too and we'll have to stay here for an extra night... thank fuck I hadn't booked my shinkansen ticket but hopefully I can still make it to a later leg of my travel where I've got accom and car rental booked. Time to just chill for now though
I'm on a Shinkansen to Kyoto at the moment. Yes I have wet feet. Off to Hiroshima next week, maybe we can swap tips, if you're heading to Kyoto or Tokyo? But fair warning, all my tips will be bars and record stores. 😋
Ooh what a coincidence! Yep it's looking wet all across south and east Japan. I'm only spending one night in Hiroshima unfortunately, and then tootling around Shikoku (mostly driving through amazing scenery, visiting some natural features and seeing some traditional villages). Won't be going to the big cities aside from one night + day in Tokyo before I fly off. If there's just one place you'd recommend checking out in Tokyo that's a bit alternative or off the beaten track what would it be? I confess I don't do big cities that well which is why I'm spending the least amount of time possible in Tokyo. How long will you be down in Hiroshima?
That sounds great! Good luck with your ferry, too! We're in Kyoto for most of this week, but just spending two nights in Hiroshima after. We had hoped to get further into the countryside, but didn't plan ahead well enough. I was fairly apprehensive about giant, bustling Tokyo too, but we stayed in Akasaka which was actually really manageable in terms of crowds etc. (but still has loads of bars, restaurants, shops) Its a bit of a business-ier district, so Friday night was busy, but the rest not so bad. Bar Luther in Akasaka seats about 10 people, plays 70's/80's RnB & Soul - all on vinyl and all done in between mixing (great and cheap) drinks! But we couldn't get in on Friday. Harajuku was pretty good for vintage (sometimes $$$) clothes shopping, but was cuter and quieter than Shibuya proper. In writing this, I realise we havent really departed from the well beaten track yet.
There are some really unexpectedly neat/chill pockets of Tokyo that make it absolutely worth spending more time at! That bar sounds grouse. I'll have to see what my last few days are like, I was planning to have a go at the Shimanami Kaido from Imabari to Onomichi, spend a day in Onomichi then take a late train to Tokyo and do a wee bit of targeted shopping on my last day before flying off in the afternoon. But depending of how much energy I have, I might be tempted to be more of an urbanite and head from Takamatsu to do 3 nights in a cute part of Tokyo like Musashino or something hmmm
Well you sound more researched and prepared than I do, so don't let me influence you! I think I was just happy that I could actually stand being out and about in Tokyo, and not constantly swarmed. I don't really understand the attraction of Shibuya crossing, apart from to get the fuck away from there, it was a sensory nightmare!