Japan Diaries 4: Day 419

Day 419: December 25, 2022

Sunday – Christmas Day – Hiroshima Road Trip Day 1


Merry Christmas from Kumatori, Osaka
Merry Christmas from Kumatori, Osaka

Thank you, Mr. Toshi for the delicious breakfast
Thank you, Mr. Toshi for the delicious breakfast

Good morning, Yomo!
Good morning, Yomo! 🔆

Our second home in Japan
Our second home in Japan 🏡

Kumatori manhole cover
Kumatori manhole cover

It's a beautiful Christmas morning. 🎄🎄🎄 Unlike in the Philippines where Christmas is a big event, it's just a normal day here. Mr. Toshi prepared breakfast for us while we prepared for our road trip today. We left the Kameyama Residence in the town of Kumatori (熊取町), Osaka Prefecture, at 9 AM. 

Look who's riding in the passenger seat with me
Look who's riding in the passenger seat with me 😮

Hanwa Expressway to Suita City
Hanwa Expressway to Suita City

Suita City, Osaka
We dropped off Yomo with Mr. Toshi's daughter before going on our way

Mr. Toshi and Yomo


We made our first trip to the home of Ms. Akiko, Mr. Toshi's daughter, in Suita City (吹田市), Osaka Prefecture. We went there to drop off Yomo, the family dog, so she could enjoy her three-day vacation as well.

Driving through Sanyo Expressway

Miki Service Area in Miki City (三木市) in Hyogo Prefecture
Toilet break at Miki Service Area in Miki City (三木市) in Hyogo Prefecture

From there, we drove westward. We had a brief toilet stop at the Miki Service Area in Miki City (三木市) in Hyogo Prefecture.


During our trip, Mr. Toshi and I talked about historical places and he mentioned Kurashiki City (倉敷市) in Okayama Prefecture. It was honestly my first time hearing about it and probably because he knows that I like visiting historical places he suddenly included it in our itinerary today. I was thankful that he did because as it turned out, Kurashiki is one of the most popular and scenic destinations in Okayama.

"Kurashiki," which refers to the rice storage facilities, might be loosely translated as "town of storehouses”. During the Edo Period, Kurashiki was a significant hub for the delivery of rice. Storehouses were then a common sight on the side of the canal system that runs through the town. Today, a section of its canal system was maintained and is now a popular tourist destination."


Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area
Admiring the beauty of the Kurashiki River and the surrounding historical establishments

Mr. Toshi and Ms. Taeko
We are forever thankful to our Japanese Godparents - Mr. Toshi and Ms. Taeko

Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter

Speaking of the canal system, it was the first thing that we saw when we entered the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter. Sadly, because it was winter when we visited, the foliage of the willow trees beside the canal was thin. Regardless, there were still plenty of tourists in the area.

We entered Kurashiki Denim Street and checked out what it had to offer. As expected, there were some stores there that sold good quality denim but what was surprising was that there was also denim-themed food sold there like blue soft cream and the denim bun.

Ella with Kitaro of GeGeGe no Kitarō
Ella with Kitaro of GeGeGe no Kitarō

Kurashikimon
Kurashikimon

Kurashiki Ivy Square
Kurashiki Ivy Square

We then headed to the Kurashiki Community Center to do a toilet break. Just outside of the building was the Kurashikimon which is one of the stone carvings/landmarks in the area.
From there, we headed to the Kurashiki Ivy Square which is a beautiful hotel in the area. Although we didn’t check-in, we simply admired its façade and its grounds.

Toilet break at Yahata Parking Area (outbound) in Mihara City (三原市), Hiroshima Prefecture
Toilet break at Yahata Parking Area (outbound) in Mihara City (三原市), Hiroshima Prefecture.

Continuing on to Hiroshima City via the Sanyo Expressway
Continuing on to Hiroshima City via the Sanyo Expressway

It was almost 5 PM when we left Kurashiki City but unlike in Hokkaido, there was still plenty of sunlight left until we reached Hiroshima Prefecture. Since we still had a bit of a journey ahead of us, we made another brief stopover at the Yahata Parking Area (outbound) in Mihara City (三原市), Hiroshima Prefecture.

Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima
Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima

Team Nicerio stays in Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima
Team Nicerio stays in the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima

Team Nicerio stays in Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima
I'm happy to see Christmas trees in the hotel. It reminded me that it's Christmas today.

We reached Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima in Ujina Island (
宇品島) which is still part of Hiroshima City (広島市) at around 6 PM. After checking in, we brought our luggage to room 701. After resting a bit, we headed back to the lobby to meet Mr. Toshi and his family. We then drove to Hiroshima Teppanyaki Manpachi in the city proper for dinner.

Hiroshima Teppanyaki Manpachi
Hiroshima Teppanyaki Manpachi 

Hiroshima Teppanyaki Manpachi
Kanpai!

Hiroshima Okonomiyaki
Hiroshima Okonomiyaki

Dinner with our Japanese family


My family and I tried the Hiroshima Okonomiyaki for the first time and we had mixed feelings about it. Regardless, we enjoyed the meal.

With our stomachs full and contented, we drove back to our hotel to rest and prepare for our new adventures tomorrow.

Overall, the travel was long, but my family and I were able to explore two new prefectures in a single day. This gets us to 14 of Japan's 47 prefectures visited. We are looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

Read more:

Japan Diaries 4: Week 60



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