Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Bitchu Takahashi JR Station 備中高梁駅, Takahashi City Library 高梁市図書館

Bitchu Takahashi JR Station 備中高梁駅, located in Okayama Prefecture, is a train station on Hakubi line (伯備線). The most symbolic landmark of Takahashi city is undoubtedly Bicchu Matsuyama Castle 備中松山城, one of the rare mountain castles in Japan. Having said that, the initial pulling factor for me to visit this city located northwest of Okayama city, was not the historic castle but its train station!

Limited express trains serving this train station include:
(1) Ltd Exp Yakumo やくも, commutes along Hakubin line and San'in main line, between Okayama and Izumo. The train ride takes slightly over 30 minutes from Okayama to Bitchu Takahashi.
(2) Ltd Exp Sunrise Izumo サンライズ出雲, an overnight sleeper train which commutes between Tokyo and Izumo.

What's nearby?

(1) Takahashi City Library 高梁市図書館, located within the train station.
Opening hrs: 0900 - 2100 hrs

Objective achieved! The library building was the aim of my visit to Takahashi city. Caught sight of this modern looking building which stood out in the suburb while I was on board Limited Express Yakumo. Started to research on the name of this train station and eventually made up my mind to pay this place a visit just before heading back to Singapore. The library spans over three storey and is connected seamlessly to the train station. Upon entering the library, you will first see the tourist information center on the left and Starbucks on the right. Love the overall outlook of the library - the spacious concept creates a conducive environment for spending an entire day here reading a favourite book. For those who have been to Takeo City Library 武雄市図書館 in Saga Prefecture, this place will breed familiarity. In fact, Takahashi City Library was a collaboration between Takahashi City and Culture Convenience Club Company (known as CCC in short), the same company behind the successful revamp of Takeo City Library.
https://takahashi.city-library.jp/library/

(2) Tsutaya 蔦屋 and Starbucks スターバックス, located within the train station.
A section of the library is dedicated to Tsutaya, a local bookstore chain managed by CCC, and Starbucks. What I like most about the overall design of the library, bookstore, cafe and tourist information center is its open concept in which the various sections are not separated by dividers/walls, therefore promoting collaboration. One of the most appealing design which has become the center of attraction in this building is the towering wall bookshelves in the dining area - you cannot help but want to take a photo of this spot before heading further into the library!
https://www.starbucks.co.jp/store/search/detail.php?id=2086

(3) Tourist Information Center 高梁市観光案内所, located within the train station.
https://takahashi.city-library.jp/library/access#kanko_annai
Opening hrs: 0900 - 1700 hrs

Group taxi. There is an affordable and convenient group taxi service which tourists can make use to visit Bitchu Matsuyama Castle. For a one way fee of 500 yen, the taxi departs from the train station to Fuigo toge ふいご峠 and it takes another 25 minutes walk to reach the Tenshukaku (keep tower) of Bitchu Matsuyama Castle. However, a prior reservation via phone call is required/recommended to secure this service. I tried my luck to make a reservation on the spot and fortunately was able to get the earliest 0950 hrs slot. Similarly, I utilised the same taxi service which departed at 1140 hrs from Fuigotoke to return to the train station.

• Bitchu Takahashi JR Station > Fuigo toge: 0950, 1120, 1250, 1420 hrs
• Fuigo toge > Bitchu Takahashi JR Station: 1140, 1310, 1440, 1610 hrs

Another popular activity here is Unkai 雲海 (or sea of clouds) viewing of Bitchu Matsuyama Castle. A similar group taxi service is available between October and March to ferry visitors from the train station to Unkai Observatory 雲海展望台. Cost 1,500 yen for a round trip, there are two available timing per day (0730 and 0800 hrs) during its operational period and prior reservation is also required to utilise this service.

(4) Raikyuji 頼久寺, about 15 mins walk from the train station.

Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Yura JR Station 由良駅, Conan Street Stamp Rally コナン通りスタンプラリー

Yura JR Station (由良駅) is located along San’in main line. Located in Hokuei-cho 北栄町, a town in Tottori Prefecture, this station is only served by local trains. Journey by train to reach here takes more than an hour from either Yonago or Tottori Station.

Step into the world of Detective Conan. Despite the relative inconvenience, this small town is a place many manga fans from all over the world would love to pay a visit to! Reason being Hokuei-cho is the hometown of Gosho Aoyama 青山剛昌, the artist behind the selling manga series, Detective Conan 名探偵コナン. Its unwavering popularity since the release more than two decades ago has led to the establishment of a museum (Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory) which is wholly dedicated to Gosho Aoyama, in the place he grew up in. Not only that, the road from Yura JR Station to the museum was even named Conan Street コナン通り. Along the street, fans will be excited to find bronze statues of Detective Conan, stone monuments imprinted with the covers of Detective Conan comic books, directional signs depicting Conan and other characters pasted on the pedestrian walkways and colourful pictures of Conan illustrated on manhole covers! Last but not least, Yura JR Station which is the starting point of Conan Street is also known as Conan Station コナン駅 and within the train station, there are many photo taking worthy spots to look out for. In fact, this is not my first time visiting a place with such manga/anime related theme in Japan. Sakaiminato city, which is also in Tottori Prefecture as well, was where Shigeru Mizuki 水木しげる, the artist behind Gegege no Kitaro ゲゲゲの鬼太郎, grew up in as a child. Similarly, Sakaiminato JR Station 境港駅 was named Kitaro Station 鬼太郎駅 and the road leading from the train station to Mizuki Shigeru Museum 水木しげる記念館 is called Mizuki Shigeru Road 水木しげるロード.

Wear a detective cap and uncover where Conan is hiding in the train station. 

Strolling along Conan Street.

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What’s nearby?

(1) Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory 青山剛昌ふるさと館, about 20 minutes walk from the train station.
Operating hours: 0300 - 1730 hrs; last entry at 1700 hrs
Entrance fee = 700 yen; 100 yen discount for foreigners (need to show passport as proof).
http://www.gamf.jp/

(2) Tourist Information Center 観光案内所, located in the same building as the train station.
Operating hours: 0900 - 1715 hrs
https://www.hokuei-kankou.jp/%E8%A6%B3%E5%85%89%E6%A1%88%E5%86%85%E6%89%80/

Apart from being an information center to Hokuei-cho, there are exclusive array of merchandise of Detective Conan on sale here - T-shirts, towels, badges, coasters, stationery, etc! Here, you can purchase a Yura JR Station arrival certificate (コナン駅来駅証明書) as proof of visit. There is even a shelf of Detective Conan comic books placed in one corner of the room for visitors who are interested to read.

Conan Street Stamp Rally コナン通りスタンプラリー

One interesting activity which many people will engage in upon arrival is to purchase a Conan Street Official Guide Book (コナン公式ガイドブック) from the Tourist Information Center and embark on a stamp rally expedition! This concept is similar to Yokai Stamp Rally 妖怪スタンプラリー which I have participated in Sakaiminato two years ago. The guidebook contains detailed account (only in Japanese) of where various media of Detective Conan, such as bronze statues, figurines, stone monuments, directional signs and boards, etc, can be spotted along Conan Street. For the stamp rally portion, there is a total of eight inked stamp counters located in different areas of the town, such as Yura Post Office 由良郵便局, Asakura Books Center 朝倉書店 (a place where Gosho Aoyama visited frequently when he was a kid) and even the gas station! Upon gathering at least five out of eight inked stamps in the guide book, return to the tourist information center to receive a special gift. For my instance, I received a badge and a completion sticker which can be pasted at the back of the guide book. 

Deja vu! Visited Tottori Prefecture over a weekend and I was greeted by rainy weather on both days. This was the exact, same situation I came across when I was in Sakaiminato two years ago. Similarly, I had to brave the relentless wind and perpetual rain to locate various inked stamp counters and had to ensure that I do not drench or lose my guidebook this time round. The time taken to travel from one place to another took longer than usual due to the poor weather conditions but I eventually managed to collect all eight inked stamps successfully. Everything went on smoothly until I found out that the tourist information center was already closed for the day when I returned to the train station in the evening! I was definitely disappointed but I could only blame myself for the poor time management. Without further ado, I sat down to review my itinerary for the following day and research on the train schedule. Fortunately, I was able to carve out some time in the morning on the subsequent day to drop by this train station again to exchange for the present. And yes, each step was executed smoothly as per this last minute change in plan. Boarded the train from Yonago JR Station at 0839 hrs and reached Yura JR Station at 0921 hrs, shuffled my feet quickly to the tourist information center, happily collected my present and took the return train which came 12 minutes later.

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Commemorative stamps:

* Yura JR Station

* Hokuei-cho Tourist Information Center

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Shimonoseki JR Station 下関駅

Shimonoseki JR Station (下関駅) is located on the Sanyo main line, in Shimonoseki city, the westernmost city on Honshu island. There are no limited express trains serving this train station especially when the nearest Shinkansen train station is at Shin-Shimonoseki JR Station (新下関駅), which is just two stops away from here. This is also the last train station on the Sanyo main line before the railway line crosses Kanmon Straits 関門海峡 and continues in Kyushu. Shin-Shimonoseki JR Station is on the Sanyo Shinkansen line but only served by the slower speed bullet trains such as Sakura さくら and Kodama こだま.

Latest themed sightseeing train! Previously a sightseeing themed train named Misuzu Shiosai みすゞ潮彩 operated on weekends and public holidays between Shin-Shimonoseki and Senzaki. During my last trip to Chugoku, I contemplated visiting Senzaki just because I wanted to ride on this train. Did not manage to do so eventually due to time constraint and made a mental note that I would cover this scenic route, which runs alongside the Sea of Japan, in the near future to come. While writing this blog entry, I realised that Misuzu Shiosai has ceased operation in January 2017 (after in operation for close to a decade). Not to fret as JR West has replaced Misuzu Shiosai with Marumaru no Hanashi ○○のはなし in August 2017. Operated on weekends and public holidays as well, this two carriage sightseeing train commutes between Shimonoseki and Hagi and makes one round trip per day. Wrapped with a much extravagant and elegant wallpaper, the two train carriages have completely different interior design - Car 1 is Japanese style where passengers can sit comfortably on tatami laid seats while Car 2 is Western style where all the seats are oriented to face the side where a panoramic view of Sea of Japan can be seen during the train journey. The word "ha-na-shi はなし", used in the name of the train, actually means tale/story in Japanese. Each of the three character actually comes from the name of the cities which the train passes by - "ha" from Hagi city, "na" from Nagato city and "shi" from Shimonoseki city.

Marumaru no Hanashi ○○のはなし: http://www.jr-odekake.net/navi/kankou/marumaru_no_hanashi/
Fare = 520 yen; train fare is included in nationwide JR Pass and JR West Pass.

Did not manage to ride Misuzu Shiosai before it ceased operation in January 2017. Picture taken from JR West pamphlet. 

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What's nearby?

(1) Tourist Information Center 下関駅観光案内所, located within the train station. 

Website: http://www.stca-kanko.or.jp/sightseeing/tourist/#tourist-p

(2) Shimonoseki Station Bus Terminal 下関駅バスタミナル, just outside the East Exit of train station.

- For Kamon Wharf カモンワーフ and Karato Market 唐戸市場, take the bus from Bus Stop 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 and alight at Karato 唐戸. 7 minutes by bus; fare = 220 yen.
- For Akama Shrine 赤間神宮, take the bus from Bus Stop 1 and 2 and alight at Akama Jinja mae 赤間神宮前. 9 minutes by bus; fare = 230 yen.

At Karato Bus Stop, where Shimonoseki Nabecho Post Office (in the centre) and Former Akita Co. Ltd Building (on the right) are in the vicinity.

- For Mine JR Station 美祢駅 and Akiyoshido 秋芳洞, take Bus 21 and 121 from Bus Stop 2.
- For Nagato Yumoto Onsen 長門湯本温泉 and Senzaki 仙崎, take Bus 127 (Shimonoseki ~ Tawarayama, Nagato, Senzaki line 下関～俵山・長門・仙崎線) from Bus Stop 2.

Bus schedule (departing from Shimonoseki Station Bus Terminal): http://www.sandenkotsu.co.jp/bus/route_bus/bus_stop/bg_shimonosekieki

(3) Daimaru departmental store 大丸下関, less than a minute walk away from train station.
In my previous blog entry on Tottori JR Station, I have mentioned that there are two Daimaru departmental stores in Chugoku region. Similarly, the branch in Shimonoseki city is located a stone throw away from the main train station.
Operating hours: 1000 - 1930 hrs
https://shimonoseki.daimaru.co.jp/

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Commemorative stamps:

* From tourist information center

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Mine JR Station 美祢駅, Nagato Yumoto JR Station 長門湯本駅

Both Mine JR Station (美祢駅) and Nagato Yumoto JR Station are located along Mine line (美祢線). Mine line is a 46 km long railway line in Yamaguchi Prefecture which connects Asa (厚狭駅) on the Sanyo main line to Nagato-shi (長門市駅) on the San'in main line. This single track railway line is only served by single carriage trains with about 1 train operating every 1 - 2 hours.

Collected this set of stickers depicting the three themed trains operating along Mine line. 

To promote ridership along Mine line, a portion of the trains were beautifully wrapped with pictures depicting stories arising from and places in surrounding areas. Currently, there are three different themes:

- San'in Onoda-go 山陽小野田号, decorated with pictures depicting the story of "Sannen netaro" (三年寝太郎; A man called Taro who slept for three years). It is said that once upon a time in Onoda city, there lived a man called Taro who did not work and slept most of his time sleeping. After sleeping for three years and three months, he finally woke up and requested for a boat filled with straw sandals from his father. He rowed all the way to Sado island (in Niigata) and returned with damaged straw sandals which he exchanged the new ones for from the gold miners. When he washed the damaged straw sandals, he discovered gold nuggets in the waters. He used the money he earned from selling the gold nuggets to build a weir across Asa River (厚狭川) and facilities to irrigate paddy fields, which brought prosperity to the locals in the city.

On board Mine-go!

- Mine-go 美祢号, decorated with pictures of Akiyoshidai (Japan's largest karst formation), sakura (flower representing Mine city) and Akiyoshido's iconic Hyakumaizara (百枚皿, 100 plates) and Koganebashira (黄金柱; Golden pillar).

- Nagato-go 長門号; decorated with fireworks of Mine city (held annually during summer) and a poetry named "Kodamadeshoka" (こだまでしょうか; Are you an echo?) written by Misuzu Kaneko (金子みすゞ), a talented children poetry writer who was born in Senzaki, Nagato city, in 1903.

JR Mine Line (in Japanese): http://www.jrminesen.com/

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Mine JR Station 美祢駅

Nature's work of art. Mine-shi is well known for Akiyoshidai (秋吉台) and Akiyoshido (秋芳洞). Akiyoshitai is Japan's largest karst formation and is designated as a quasi-national park. The limestone which forms Akiyoshitai began life as coral reefs about 300 million years ago. The dissolution of limestone overtime created this unique karst landscape here. Akiyoshido is the largest limestone cave in East Asia, situated just below Akiyoshidai. Visited both on a day trip and I was overwhelmed by the breathtaking landscape; this is truly one of the most prominent landmark of Yamaguchi Prefecture, which I will strongly encourage everyone to visit!
Akiyoshitai and Akiyoshido: https://karusuto.com/

What's nearby?

(1) Bus stop, just in front of the train station.
For Akiyoshido:
- Sanden Bus サンデン交通バス, Akiyoshido line 秋芳洞線.
Fee = 620 yen
Bus schedule (latest): http://www.sandenkotsu.co.jp/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/TT03_300316.pdf
- Sentetsu Bus 船木鉄道バス, Anmonaito-go あんもないと号. As this is a community bus serving local residents, the bus fare is much cheaper than the former. However, there are less bus services in comparison. Also note that the bus schedules are different on weekdays and weekends/public holidays.
Fee = 200 yen
Bus schedule (in Japanese):
http://www.sentetsu.biz-web.jp/
https://karusuto.com/access/

* Please note that JR Chugoku Bus Akiyoshido/Akiyoshitai line does not stop at Mine JR Station anymore.

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Nagato Yumoto JR Station 長門湯本駅

Longest history. The origin of Nagato Yumoto Onsen dates all the way back to Muromachi period (1336 – 1573). It was discovered by the chief priest of Taineiji (大寧寺), who was told about the existent of a hot spring source in the surroundings by Sumiyoshidaimyojin (住吉大明神) while he was mediating. Nagato Yumoto Onsen has the longest history than any other hot spring areas in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The train station is located about 10 minutes walk away from the main hot spring town where hotels, ryokans and public communal bathhouses can be found.
Nagato Yumoto Onsen (in Japanese): http://yumotoonsen.com/

What's nearby?

(1) Bus stop, just outside the train station.
- Sanden Bus サンデン交通バス, Shimonoseki ~ Tawarayama, Nagato, Senzaki line 下関～俵山・長門・仙崎線. This bus service operates between Shimonoseki 下関, Tawarayama Onsen 俵山温泉, Nagato Yumoto Onsen Entrance 湯本温泉入口, Nagato, Senzaki and Otomari 大泊 (in Omijima 青海島).

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Commemorative stamp:

Boarding certificate.

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Yuda Onsen JR Station 湯田温泉駅

Yuda Onsen JR Station (湯田温泉駅) is a train station located along Yamaguchi line. As the name suggests, this is the train station nearest to Yuda Onsen. By local train, it takes about 20 minutes to commute from Shin Yamaguchi JR Station, a major train station served by Sanyo Shinkansen, to Yuda Onsen. Due its accessibility by various mode of transportation, this is one of the more popular hot spring district in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Limited express and sightseeing trains serving Yuda Onsen JR Station include:
(1) Limited Express Super Oki (おき), commutes between Tottori and Shin Yamaguchi, via Kurayoshi, Yonago, Matsue, Izumo-shi, Masuda, Tsuwano, Yamaguchi and Yuda Onsen.

(2) SL Yamaguchi (SLやまぐち号) is a sightseeing train driven by a steam locomotive and commutes between Shin Yamaguchi and Tsuwano. The train usually operates on weekends and public holidays, and makes one round trip on its day of operation.
- 8521 Train: Shin Yamaguchi (1050 hrs) > Yuda Onsen (1106 hrs) > Tsuwano (1259 hrs)
- 8522 Train: Tsuwano (1545 hrs) > Yuda Onsen (1714 hrs) > Shin Yamaguchi (1730 hrs)
SL Yamaguchi: http://www.c571.jp/

Top left: Bade farewell to SL Yamaguchi; Bottom right: A 26 feet tall adorable looking white fox monument welcomes visitors to Yuda Onsen. 

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What's nearby?

(1) Yuda Onsen 湯田温泉

Yuda Onsen JR Station is actually not located at the heart of Yuda Onsen; the main street (San-in Road (山陰道) where hotels/ryokan and other facilities such as footbaths and Tourism Center are located along is about 10 minutes walk away from the train station. Upon exiting from the train station, walk straight and you will pass by Inoue Park (井上公園) and eventually see a Lawson convenience store along San-in Road. For our trip, we stayed at Kokian (古希庵) for a night and requested for them to pick us up from the train station. Having said that, I tried to walk from Kokian to the train station on the following morning after breakfast and it was quite manageable.  

Yuda Onsen: http://www.yudaonsen.com/

(2) Footbath (or ashiyu) just right beside the train station.
It is always welcoming to see a footbath upon reaching/exiting a train station. This is especially so after I have walked long distances over extended period of time. Soaking into the footbath helps to soothe the leg muscles and ease the ache. After multiple visits to Japan, I have also make it a point to put a towel into my bag which is used to wipe my feet after soaking them into a footbath, if I ever get to encounter one anytime during my journey. The location where the footbath is situated in this instance was also a thoughtful one because you can get an unobstructed view of trains passing by the station while enjoying a foot therapy.

Legend says. There is a gigantic monument of a white fox, standing at 26 feet tall (close to 8 m) and weighing 3 tons, erected beside the footbath. Apart from this. we also noticed that there were numerous statues of fox placed in different parts of the hot spring town during our exploration. Not that Yuda Onsen is or once was a breeding ground for fox but legend says that the discovery of Yuda Onsen is linked to a white fox. Long ago, a white fox would visit a small pond in Yuda every night to bathe his sore feet in the water. A Buddhist priest was bewildered by this unusual sight and went to scoop some water from the pond. That was how the hot spring source was discovered. 

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Commemorative stamp: 

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Tsuwano JR Station 津和野駅, Tonomachi-dori 殿町通り, Tsuwano Catholic Church 津和野カトリック教会

Tsuwano JR Station (津和野駅) is a train station on the Yamaguchi line. From Shin Yamaguchi JR Station, we boarded SL Yamaguchi train, crossed the prefectural border between Yamaguchi and Shimane and eventually arrived at the terminus station in Tsuwano-cho, which is referred to as the “little Kyoto of San’in region”, after a two hours long journey. In my impression, this is a very peaceful and quaint remote town surrounded by mountainous landscape, making it an excellent getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. In fact, I would have missed out visiting Tsuwano-cho if not for SL Yamaguchi. Glad that I made it here eventually to uncover this paradise in San'in region.

Tsuwano-cho Tourism Association: http://tsuwano-kanko.net/en/

Limited express trains serving this station include:
(1) Limited Express Super Oki (おき), commutes between Tottori and Shin Yamaguchi, via Kurayoshi, Yonago, Matsue, Izumo-shi, Masuda, Tsuwano, Yamaguchi and Yuda Onsen.

(2) SL Yamaguchi (SLやまぐち号) , a steam locomotive driven sightseeing train which operates on weekends and public holidays, and makes one round trip between Shin Yamaguchi and Tsuwano.

• 8521 Train: Shin Yamaguchi (1050 hrs) > Yuda Onsen (1106 hrs) > Tsuwano (1259 hrs)
• 8522 Train: Tsuwano (1545 hrs) > Yuda Onsen (1714 hrs) > Shin Yamaguchi (1730 hrs)

SL Yamaguchi: http://www.c571.jp/

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What's nearby?

Picturesque sight!

(1) Tonomachi-dori 殿町通り, about 10 minutes walk from train station.
This is the most scenic spot in Tsuwano-cho, which gave rise to the name "little Kyoto of San'in region". Tsuwano-cho once flourished as a castle town and remains of samurai residences, recognised by the white walls, lined along this street. The approximately 200 m long, spacious stone-paved road with ginkgo trees planted along its sides is a pretty sight to behold and capture under the lens.

What I felt most intriguing was seeing numerous koi fishes swimming in the long stretch of canal along the street! We were truly surprised by this unusual sight and like many visitors, we stood or squatted near the canal to admire these colourful fishes swimming gracefully in the waters for quite some time before heading towards the direction of Taikodani Inari Shrine. The street was much livelier on the weekend as most visitors came here via SL Yamaguchi train just like us. There are shops nearby where visitors can purchase fish food (100 yen/packet) from to feed the koi fishes. Purple and white irises planted in the canal bloom from late May to mid June, enhancing the beauty of this street further.

(2) Tsuwano Catholic Church 津和野カトリック教会, about 8 minutes walk from train station.
Opening hours: 0800 - 1730 hrs; Nov - Mar: 0800 - 1700 hrs
http://www.sun-net.jp/~otome/

This church with a western Gothic architecture outlook comes into sight when you crossed over from Honmachi-dori (本町通り) to Tonomachi-dori. Founded by a German priest in 1931, one feature unique to this church is that conventional pews or long benches are replaced with tatami mats here. With sufficient sunlight coming through the stained glasses, bright and beautiful colours are imprinted temporarily onto the tatami mats creating a mesmerising kaleidoscopic effect. Do remember to observe silence in the church while admiring the fine architectural features closely.

(3) Taikodani Inari Shrine 太鼓谷稲荷神社, one of Japan's five most important inari shine is about 30 minutes walk from train station.
http://taikodani.jp/

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Commemorative stamp: