Copacabana is a small town on the shores of Lake Titicaca. This picturesque little town perched above the lake has some attractions of its own. It is also the departure point for ferries to the nearby islands of Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. Although only 96 miles from La Paz, the journey…

Our itinerary for our trip to Japan was as follows. Itinerary Day 1 Flight to TokyoAccommodation – Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingu-Gaien x 5 Day 2-4 Tokyo Day 5 Day Trip to Nikko Day 6 HakoneAccommodation – Wisterian Life Club Day 7-9 KyotoAccommodation – Kyoto Tower Hotel Annex – 5 Day 10 Day Trip to Nara…

Saturday 28 January Our time in Japan is nearly over, today we head back towards Fukuoka ready for our departing flight. Just time for my final morning rooftop dip watching the sun rise over the petrochemical plants of Beppu. Drive to Dazaifu Today are driving to Dazaifu, a shrine town on the outskirts of Fukuoka.…

Friday 27 January 2023 Awake at 8.22 am. In the rooftop bath by 8.30. I still haven’t got the hang of Japanese public bath etiquette and I’m not sure how to improve without observing others, which might look a bit weird and Perry between two naked strangers. But I have lovely bath, even if I…

Thursday 26 January 2023 On yesterday’s schedule was Kumamoto, ETA 2 pm; castle and gardens, then today a drive to Beppu via a volcano lookout and a gorge where you can hire a boat and row through the gorge. In reality, we arrived in Kumamoto long after everything was shut and aren’t prepared to veer…

Wednesday 25 January 2023 Today all my preconceptions about Japanese efficiency were shattered when a little bit of snow took down the entire transport infrastructure. Nagasaki Peace Park But first we start the day with a a walk/slide along the icy pavements to Nagasaki Peace Park, which we thought we’d visited yesterday, but apparently we…

Tuesday 24 January 2023 Today we pick up a hire car to drive round the top half of Kyushu. But first, breakfast. Hotel Wing offers a complimentary breakfast. There are four choices, three of which are fish, including porridge with a dollop of pollock roe. I can think of plenty of nice things to add…

Monday 23 January 2023 Not the best night’s sleep. I thought the Dormy Inn toilet was noisy until I tried to sleep through my neighbour’s showers, which happened at 10.35 pm and 6.25 am. Who showers twice in less than 8 hours FFS? Never mind, this morning we check out and head for Fukuoka. Bullet…

Sunday 22 Janaury 2023 It’s the penultimate day of of our very expensive JR passes. There are two things you can do in Hiroshima on a JR pass; take the tourist loop bus and take a ferry to the island of Miyajima. So that’s our day planned. Ferry to Miyajima You can get a ferry…