Saturday, 24th October 2015 I started my day early following a hearty buffet breakfast at the hotel. With a good selection of quality items coupled with tip-top Japanese service standards, this was worth my 1,200 yen. I planned to do some outlet shopping today at the Marinoa City but since it was quite early, I visited the Ohori Park first instead. Exiting from the subway station, I entered the park grounds through the Northern Gate which was already teeming with morning joggers. The centre piece of the park is a huge lake connected by a long bridge to both sides of the expansive park space. When it was time to start my shopping day, I continued my journey towards the end of the subway line to Meinohama Station where I caught another bus to the Marinoa ... read more

Friday, 23rd October 2015 Today is the final day where I could travel for free on my 5-Day Kyushu Pass. And without deviating too much from my itinerary, I decided to make a quick stopover at the city of Kumamoto before continuing my journey to Hakata on the Shinkansen. My main reason for stopping by at the city was to visit the famed castle as well as having a slurp at the original Ajisen Ramen Store located at the heart of the city. After parking my luggage at the JR station, I boarded the city tram and alighted at the Castle Station some 8 stops later. Following Wikitravel's recommendation, I took a lift up the City Hall Building to enjoy a free bird's eye view of the castle buildings before venturing into the compounds later. Like ... read more

Thursday, 22nd October 2015 After travelling about an hour on the iconic Ibusuki-no-Tamatebako train with a stopover at Kiire Station, I finally reached the seaside town of Ibusuki. I liked that we were given a warm welcome by the local people as soon as our train pulled into the platform. The train journey was eventful with the stewardess going around the cabin taking pictures for us. From the station, I hopped onto a local bus which brought me straight to the gates of Saraku Sand Bath. This was the reason why I was here today - to experience the sensation of bathing under the heat of volcanic ash by the sea. As touristy as it sounds, this was a well-managed place where English signage was prevalent to orientate users around the place. After changing to my ... read more

Wednesday, 21st October 2015 I have a full day in Kagoshima today to explore the city proper. With sights scattered along the major public transportation points, this was an easy journey that allowed plenty of time for me to reflect in between places of interest. Starting from the JR Kagoshima Station, my first stop for the day was a visit to the Museum of the Meiji Restoration. Located along the Kotsuki River, this was a mere 5 minutes from where I started. Other noteworthy sites around the vicinity included the birthplace of Saigo Takamori as well as a replica of the Samurai House which was a common sight during the pre-Meiji Restoration era. After immersing myself on some Japanese history, I took to the Shiroyama Observatory which commanded a great view of downtown Kagoshima and Sakurajima ... read more

Monday, 19th October 2015 Day two of my Japan trip. I decided to get out Fukuoka and visit the Kitakyushu district this morning. This was made convenient with my handy Kyushu Rail Pass. My express train ride from Hakata to Kokura was rather smooth as it passed through most of the minor stations along the way. Alighting at Kokura station some 40 minutes later, I continued my journey to Mojiko Retro Town where the Kyushu Railway Museum was located. This was about 15 minutes of local train ride from Kokura. As soon as I got off from my train, I was greeted by a retro station building. Some upgrading works were on-going and the façade was concealed by the hoardings. There were signs pointing to the Railway Museum. I stood outside for a while and gathered ... read more