Japan travel guide

Cafes with live pets are getting popular in the bigger cities in Japan. Most of the cafes have ordinary pets like cats, dogs or rabbits, but some have more unusual animals like otters, hedgehogs and owls (picture). The price depends on the time spend and a softdrink is usually included. The cafe owners seem to keep the pets on a rotation schedule, so the animals don't get (too) stressed of all the attention.

Hopefully everyone knows, that Hiroshima got bombed with the first atomic bomb during WWII. We will not get into the horrific details here, the World Peace Museum in Hiroshima does a sickening good job at that. We will, however, mention the iconic Atomic Bomb Dome, which the museum had been built close to. Originally, the dome was an exhibition hall, but by standing next to the epicentre of the A-bomb (the Aioi Bridge), and since the bomb detonated at 600 m in the air, there were some walls that could withstand the almost vertical blast. After the war, there was a discussion to demolish the ruin, but the decision was made to keep it as a memory of that devastating day in 1945 and a symbol of peace.

With a history going more than 1000 years back, Dogo Onsen is one of Japan's oldest. The current wooden bathhouse was constructed in 1894 and is beautiful with fine ornaments. The bottom floor holds the gender separated bathrooms, where each sex sit in a communal stone tub with hot springwater flowing in. Recently, an annex has been built, which also has private baths. Since Dogo Onsen has turned into a major attraction for (mostly Japanese) tourists, the area around the onsen is filled with shops and bathrobe dressed people.

In general, premium fruits are expensive in Japan, particularly if they are locally grown. Exceptional specimens are often sold as gift items for extreme high prices. One of the more unusual fruits are the square watermelons, which are domestic farmed in square-shaped molds, so they better fit in the fridge. The watermelons in the picture costs 13,000 yen (120 USD), which is among the cheaper ones. Other expensive locally grown fruits are black watermelons (about 25,000 yen) and muskmelons (about 10,000 yen) from Hokkaido and mangos from Kyushu (about 2,500 yen).

Harajuku is the place for both mainstream and alternative fashion. Jingubashi (the bridge from Harajuku towards Yoyogi Park) used to be the place to see people dressed up on Sundays in cosplay, Lolita Goth and visual kei fashion, but nowadays you only see a few here and there. They are top stylized and what might look like a sweet Little Bo Peep can turn out to be middle aged man doing his thing. It is one those refreshingly weird things, which Japan is so famous for.

This elegant and well preserved hilltop castle is Japan's finest example of a real shogun castle. It dates from 1333 and was one of Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has never been damaged by earthquake, fire or even war (though Himeji city was heavily bombed during WWII). However, recently it underwent extensive restoration for many years, and now stands (almost) immaculate. All six floors of the main keep can be visited, but its beauty is best enjoyed from the distance on the expansive castle grounds. Himeji Castle is a major cherry blossom spot, which attracts even bigger crowds during the short blooming season.
Don't forget to visit Kokoen Garden next door (buy the combined ticket).

Hiroshima Castle is another Japanese shogun castle. It stands on the flat plain as opposed to a hilltop, but with the usual moat with koi carps. There is also a shrine within the castle grounds. From the outside it looks as pretty as Himeji or Matsuyama castle, but when you enter the castle, you see the difference. It's constructed in modern materials, because the original castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945. The castle you see today was built in the 1950s with laminate flooring, so you don't need to take off your shoes. There are, of course, impressive panoramic views over Hiroshima from the top floor.

Mountainous Central Shikoku has many pretty valleys to choose from, so which one to visit? Iya Valley is the obvious choice for many, since it has the natural beauty, the sights and the hot springs. Even the crazy mountain roads zigzagging into Iya Valley is a spectacle of its own, with plenty of amazing views down the deep rocky gorge. Iya Valley also has hiking trails, waterfalls and three old traditional bridges made out of vine - and a less-impressive little statue of a peeing boy on an outcrop. When tired after a long day of driving and sightseeing, relax at some of the hotels' outdoor onsen.

Toilets in Japan come in two versions. The old squat one, which is getting harder and harder to find, but the further you get from the big cities, the bigger the chance (risk?). The other version is the modern fully automated one. The toilets are western style, but equipped with a fully automated seat with heat, which can both spray, blow dry and camouflage sounds with bird tweets. Note that there are a male and a female (person with ponytail) button on the display. A push on the male button will direct the spray to one fixed point, while a push on the female button will result in a full "underbody wash". Obviously, pressure and angle can be adjusted.

Kagoshima would be a fairly ordinary Japanese mid-sized city pleasantly located on the shore of a bay, if it wasn't for the huge and active volcano Sakurajima on the other side. Last major eruption was in 1914 when it covered the town deep in ashes. Today it's one of the most active volcanoes in the world and blows smoke and ashes over the city frequently which makes an umbrella handy. The schools have taken this one step further and added a yellow helmet to their school uniforms, which makes the kids look like Bob the Builder. The volcano can be visited (though not climbed) and please note the many concrete shelters in case of Sakurajima should rumble.