2006: The year that was Part3

Golden Week Adventure

Noemi had enough of Japan that she decided not to extend her H.R. transfer
program. That’s when we decided that instead of me going to Tokyo, we
will prioritize the place that she have not been to. So here are the area
that we decided to visit.

Minor Destination 1: Himeji and Mt Shosha
  - Himeji Castle is considered to be the most beautiful castle all over
  Japan. Since the time it was built, it was never destroyed unlike Osaka
  Castle which was burnt several times.
  - Mt. Shosha, was actaully one of the location for the movie “Last Samurai”
  It’s a very nice place to visit, especially if your on a temple
  hopping and spiritual journey.
 
Minor Destination 2: Kobe and Arima Onsen
   - we just tour Kobe a bit, Ikuta Shrine , before proceeding to Arima
   Onsen… yes Onsen galore. We opted for the “Onsen Theme Park”, its a
   bit expensive but really worth it. There are still a lot of types of
   onsen that you can choose depending upon your taste
  
  
Major Destination: Hiroshima
   - After our day at Arima Onsen, we return to Osaka to prepare for trip
   to Hiroshima. We have already contacted some of our “kababayan” thru
   istorya.net–connecting the Bisaya anywhere in the world –. They
   became our tourguides/bodyguards. 7 guys went with us, tour the Miyajima
   island. It was 2 days filled with adventure, we (noemi and I ) never
   expected to see so much with so little time.
  
How to get there:

Himeji - from Osaka take the JR Line bound for Himeji or Aboshi
        one way usually cost around 1450yen

Mt. Shosha - From Himeji Station, take the bus bound for Mt.Shosha ropeline
       bus station is located in front of the Himeji station facing the
       Himeji castle. One way for bus is I think 300yen. Then on ropeline
       station get the round-trip ticket for the ropeline, its cheaper
       around 900yen.
      
Arima Onsen: there are 2 ways to go there
     bus: Take the hankyu bus bound for arima onsen at Umeda, it cost around
          1300yen ( I think )
     train:
         Hankyu: Osaka-Kobe(Sannomiya)  - 310
         Subway Yamate: Kobe(sannomiya) - Tanigami  — 380
         Shintetsu-Arima Sanda Line: Tanigami - Arimaguchi
         Shintestu-Arima Line: Arimaguchi - Arimaonsen
        
     Basically the train is cheaper, but if you have luggage and is planning
     to stay long in arima, Bus is more convienient. Believe you don’t want
     to up and down the stairs going to the subway

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 12th, 2006 at 6:16 pm and is filed under Japan Trips, Life In Japan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.