For my last day in Japan, I got up super early again, had breakfast, then went back up to repack my bags. I left my luggage downstairs as I made my way over to Umeda. It was my first time heading over to Umeda on this trip and it was purposely just to have ramen. =P Before ramen I stopped at the Ha Shrine to pray for my teeth, then made it in line at Ramen Yashichi at 9:45am. I…
I had my longest train ride for this trip as I needed to make the nearly 4-hour journey back to Osaka. I woke up super early again, had breakfast, then took the tram to Matsuyama Station. A quick side note: I loved how some of the trams were fully decked out as mikan denshas. Not only was the exterior coloured in orange, even the handle straps inside the trams were decorated with mandarins. Such a fun specialty of the Ehime…
For my only full day in Matsuyama, I started the morning walking over to Okaido, then followed the signs towards the ropeway entrance for Matsuyama Castle. There’s three ways to ascend Mount Katsuyama – by cable car, chair lift or just hiking up. I was adventurous (and lazy) so I took the chair lift both ways, which was actually a lot of fun despite having no handlebars to strap you into your seat. =P Matsuyama Castle is one of the…
I woke up early again in the morning and went downstairs for breakfast, which to my delight, included bowls of udon, which are a specialty of the Kagawa region. I had a busy day ahead, especially since the rain the previous day pushed back my original plans. I left the hotel just after 8:00am and caught the train to Ritsurin, entering the garden by 9:00am. I’m so glad I didn’t go to Ritsurin during the downpour because it was amazing…
For my last morning in Okayama, I took my time to get ready and left my luggage at the hotel. I headed over to the station to do some shopping first, then slowly made my way over to Katsudon Nomura for their opening at 11:00am. There was a small line already, but I still managed to get in for their first seating of the day after buying my meal ticket from the machine. Nomura is known for their pork cutlet…