Summer Holiday in Shodoshima for One Day 小豆島 (day 6 - 18th August 2011)

Left the guest house at 5.30 am to catch the 6.50am ferry to go to Shodoshima 小豆島. We reached the island quite early, so all the attractions were not opened yet. So, we visited the olive garden first. This was the first time I saw an olive tree, not quite as I have imagined. We waited until the Olive Museum opened at 8.30am. The olive museum had information about how the olive plantation started in that Japan and all other miscellaneous information.

Olive

olive tree

the Greek style windmill

Olive ice cream

Summer holiday in Shikoku 四国 (day 5 - 17th August 2011)

Since we stayed in the dormitory type accommodation, we just left, don't need to check out. After that, we went to Sannomiya 三ノ宮 station to pick up another friend. She just came from Tokyo using night bus. Then, we proceeded to Tokushima 徳島. Our main aim was to see the whirlpool in Naruto 鳴門 and the best time was between 13:30 to 14:30. So, we went to Awaji Yume Butai 淡路夢舞台. There was a national park called Akashi 国営明石海峡公園. We went to this park first because it was too early to go to Naruto. It was a big flower park. A lot of flowers, very colourful! We walked one round and left. 

the flower's octopus from Akashi park

Flowers

Summer Holiday in Okayama for One Day 岡山 (day 4 - 16th August 2011)

Had a really nice breakfast in Comfort Hotel Okayama. After that, we waited for another friend, Tee to come to pick us. He came to Okayama by Shinkansen, after that, he went to the Madza rental car company to take the rental car. After we gathered, we decided to go to Korakuen 後楽園 first. It was a garden too! However, like the Adachi Museum, summer was not the season, it was ok, but not great. We just walked one round and left. Then, we went to Kurashiki 倉敷. It was so nice to sit inside a car and do not have to rush for bus or train! (^-^)

Okayama castle (can be seen from Korakuen)

Summer holiday in Tottori 鳥取 (day 3 - 15th August 2011)

First thing in the morning, we checked out of the hotel and went to the train station. From Matsue 松江 to Yura 由良 took 2 hours by train. Yura was the birth place of the author of famous manga series, Detective Conan. The author name was Gosho Aoyama 青山剛昌. Yura is a small town, when we got off the train at the Yura station, we were surprised that only group of us got out, and there was even no coin locker. Our shoulders were tired with our big backpack on our back. After that, the train station master told us that the taxi company next to the station offered bags keeping service. So, we kept our bags inside a taxi company. I forgot what was the price, but one of my travelmates haggling with the taxi guy and finally he gave us discount!

Conan statue outside library

the lamp post with Conan character

Conan bridge

the drain cover with Conan characters!

After that, we started to walk to the Gosho Aoyama Museum. I thought that maybe Aoyama was the only famous personality of Yura town because the town seems to be centered around the characters from the author's manga. They even built a bridge and named it Conan bridge. Even the front door of the town library had a Conan statue. Along the way, there was a stall that sold watermelons and it was cheap, around 1000 yen  per watermelon. However, the sellers did not provide cutting service and we depended on public transport, carrying a big round watermelon around was a big no-no, no matter how sweet the watermelon was. So, we had to let go. Sigh!

Summer holiday in Really Interesting Sakaiminato 境港 (day 2 - 14th August 2011)

Since the people from the tourist information center strongly recommended the Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館, we went there because for foreigners, the ticket was 1100yen after 50% discount. We caught the 8.35am train to 安来市 Yasugi from 松江 Matsue, hoping that we could catch the 9am shuttle van to the museum. However, since there were too many people, I was the only person who couldn't get into the van, so all my travel mates got off the van and let other people queuing behind me to go first. Since the next turn would be 10am, we decided to go to the observation platform of Yasugi Hill to see the view because it was near. It was a small hill with few steps. It was a small town, so there was nothing to see. We stayed there for few minutes, snapped some photos and went back to the train station to wait for the bus. The town was famous for eel, so inside the 安来市 train station, there were many dolls shaped like eels.

Eel inspired dolls in Yasugi station

Yasugi Hill observatory

The Adachi Museum was quite a major let down because everything inside was a Japanese theme garden. Very delicate and detailed, but quite mundane, plus that was summer, the worst season for the view. This garden was for people who appreciate beauty of man-made garden. To me, it's not interesting. 

Adachi Museum - traditional Japanese garden

Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker

16th September 2011

The cover of Miss Hargreaves

back side of the book

I bought this book from a book store in Petaling Jaya. Although the book cover was not that interesting, the synopsis seems quite interesting, plus this book was not expensive, the price was RM10.00. So, I grabbed this book. From the synopsis, we knew that young Norman Huntley and his friend Henry invented an impossible  old lady called Miss Hargreaves on the spur of the moment when they visited a church to impress the church people. I like the sentence "spur of the moment". 

After that, out of mischievousness thought, they actually sent a letter to this Miss Hargreaves to visit Norman's home. Imagined the horror Norman felt when a letter reached his home informing that Miss Hargreaves was to visit them. Although he was reluctant, he actually went to pick up Miss Hargreaves in the station. Firstly, his friend Henry suspected that Norman told him lies, however, after he saw something that Miss Hargreaves brought along and it was him that mentioned that, he believed that they have created a living creature out of middle of nowhere on the spur of the moment.

Summer holiday in Matsue 松江 (day 1 - 13th August 2011)

Like all other countries with four seasons, Japan have many long holidays, one of it is Summer holiday. Me and my friends (3 of us) started our journey on 13th August. First stop was Matsue (松江), it was quite far from Kumamoto (熊本), and if we took the bullet train until Okayama (岡山) and then took express train to Matsue, the train alone will cost 19000 yen. So, another option was found, night bus. However, we were too late, there was only 1 trip per day, and all the seats were fully booked on 12th August night. So, after much researching, there was another option, took bullet train from Kumamoto to Yamaguchi (山口) and then took express train from Yamaguchi to Matsue, this route was cheaper, it cost around 15310 yen. Cheaper by few thousand yen. 

3 flavour soba

Horikawa boat tour 

I woke up on 5.30 am and the day was bright already. We took the 6.26am train and reached Matsue on 12.30 pm. After that, we had soba (そば) for lunch. Since I like hot stuff, I had the soba with soup. While my more adventurous friend ate cold soba with 3 flavour, very interesting! After our lunch, we waited for 2 more travel companions from Tokyo. They didn't come to Matsue directly, they had to transfer at Hiroshima because the buses to Matsue from Tokyo were all fully booked. After that, we went to the tourist centre to take brochures. For the Matsue city loop bus, day pass was 500 yen, if by entry wise, 200 yen per entry.  

'Atonement' by Ian McEwan

September 2011

the book shop provide wrapping service

Atonement

This book was one of the books I bought in Japan from a book shop in the middle of nowhere. The English books section was having sales, all 50% down. Then, I found this book, it was adapted into movie already. Although I never watch the film, but I knew the rating was good. This book cost around 600 yen, so I quickly grabbed it. Imagined my surprise when the cashier asked me whether I want my book wrapped. Of course, I said yes. No wonder I saw all those people who read inside the train has their books wrapped by brown paper, it was a norm in Japan.