Naruto

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The island of Shikoku isn't the most common tourist destination for foreigners, but Peggy was able to get a room with her Marriott points at their resort in Naruto. It is also somewhat on the way to Hiroshima, our next stop.

The larger train stations in Japan have some amazing plates / sets for dining on the trains. They're reasonably priced and delicious. Everything about the Shinkansen experience is wonderful- from the smooth, quiet ride to the spacious seats, the speed, and the service. Rather than dealing with traffic and directions and being safe, I was able to read, eat, and leisurely look out the window. The trains were even superior to most in Europe. I'd definitely visit nearby U.S. cities at home if this was the travel experience.

The drawback is that the JR trains we could use with our pass couldn't get us all the way there. It wasn't too difficult for us to continue on without a car, but that was probably due to Peggy's knowledge of the language. At one point we had to climb several floors in an enormous suspension bridge to catch a bus at the top. Then after being dropped on the side of a highway, she had to use a pay phone to call the hotel and ask to be picked up.

This hotel was my only opportunity to stay somewhere with tatami mats - where you sit and sleep on the floor. All rooms have private balconies and in addition to the two onsens on the top and bottom floors, we had a more private one on the sixth floor. The breakfast buffet was the biggest I've ever seen and gave me the chance to try some different Japanese dishes. It seemed like everyone there was Japanese except for us.

The hotel advertises that it has a workout track, but I couldn't find any such thing, so I went for a run in the town, which is definitely worth a look. There are small farms throughout that grow lettuces and green onions and the whole area smells of onions from their being dried in the sun. It was easy to do some exploring without getting lost.

Naruto wasn't the most scenic part of the trip; then again, we didn't visit the whirlpools in the ocean that are the main attraction there. Still, it was nice to get away from the city and to experience a Western hotel chain catering to Japanese visitors with a traditional Japanese experience.

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