THE ABDITORY

I always love this area. As it was mostly unharmed during the firebombings in World War II, there are many buildings and temples from Edo Period. The residents of this area are also willing to keep its ancient atmosphere and hopefully this will be carried on over the years.

Our first lunch at Tenmasa was really pleasant. It is a tempura shop with really friendly owners, and the tempura was delicious! It was ideal as a first lunch and relatively light.

Rikugien gardens are as old as the Nezu Shrine. It has actually 88 viewpoints which are based on popular Japanese poems. The sunshine casts beautiful shadows on the pine trees. Those gardens are beautiful but are even more enjoyable during autumn; some might find them even more breathtaking in winter when it's covered by a thick layer of snow.

Kagurazaka is an upper class area in the heart of Tokyo, close to Iidabashi, with lots of restaurants, dwellings of geishas loitering around and… French people! Hence, Kagurazaka is sometimes called the Little France of Tokyo. The French Institute can be found there but most French people used to live in this area for its international French school.

Guiloguilo was an amazing dining experience. It's all omakase (only one-menu reviewed monthly) and even it is based on traditional Japanese food, and it is executed and served beautifuly. This restaurant is a very special and perfect introduction to kaiseiki (traditional multi-course Japanese dinner) without being too much of a shock, especially for a freshly arrived foreigner. I have been living in Japan for 10 years but I wish I knew this restaurant earlier.

The Ryokan Sawanoya is located in the center of Nezu. You are welcomed by locals and hosted as if you were locals. This is a traditional inn but also a very affordable one, especially considering that it is in Tokyo. The bathroom inside is private and for foreigners not used to Japan or traveling in couple, that can be a nice advantage. Don't forget to get a beer after the bath and don't hesitate to wander in the streets of Nezu. This is a magical experience.

I usually never get excited about boarding planes but the trip to Kumamoto is not only a very short one but we also decided to try out breakfast aboard with a soraben. Bento is the traditional home-packed meal you usually bring for lunch when you work in Japan, "ekiben" is the one I usually get when I take the shinkansen (eki means station) so I was surprised that a soraben also exists (sora means sky). At Haneda, there is a large choice of them and as we were going south, I decided to try a soraben from Hokkaido, with ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin) and crab, for a total of less than ¥1,000. The flight was perfect this way.
*Prices are for travelers at the time of use.

All the flights with JAL were extremely comfortable. There is much more space in those planes than in the ones I've experienced before. We arrived at Kumamoto Airport very excited by the fact the weather was great and everything looked so green from the plane. We stayed in Kumamoto Airport for a little while waiting for a bus towards the Aso area, buying presents and trying a few local dishes and sweets.

We drove towards the volcano of Aso and appreciated the difference between the sweet hilly grasslands at the bottom and the rocky volcanic shapes at the top. The ascension to the volcano is currently closed, but you can enjoy a walk or a horse ride in the plain of Kusa-Senrigahama.

As Aso-Daikanbo is the highest peak around, this is the best spot to enjoy the largest caldera in the world! There were many photographers and tourists on the spot.

Kusa-Senrigahama are grasslands at the foot of Mount Aso. As it was not possible to visit the mountain due to eruptions, the Kusa-Senrigahama allowed us to get a bit closer. For those who have a lot of time, it's the perfect place to have a stroll or to ride horses.

The rotenburo (outdoor bath) on the roof of the hotel is perfect: it offers views of a big part of the caldera. Rice fields lovers will be totally amazed! We went back at night and I stayed one hour there to enjoy the stars and could even see the milky way.

There is an old and magical atmosphere in the Uchinomaki Shopping Street. The day we went, most of the shops were closed and it was really quiet. This fact really added interesting vibes of mystery. This gigantic chair felt like it was there on a purpose, looking at us. Or maybe looking towards the shrine, so we went there to have a look. We couldn't find any answer, but only felt overwhelmed by the atmosphere. We also visited a bakery in which we had delicious ice cream.

The Kumamoto Earthquake of 2016 hit the castle pretty hard. I actually didn't realize it until I went this time. The castle is planning to open again in 2019 if everything goes well. Until then, we can walk around it. Surprisingly, it is the structure that was never ever renovated nor rebuilt that withstood the effects of the earthquake the best.

After a visit of Kumamoto Castle, we stopped by the restaurant called Ginnan in Josai-en (an area at the entrance of Kumamoto Castle). It was a Kumamoto traditional meal with a chicken soup and local fresh vegetables. Thought it looked pretty simple, all the ingredients and food were really delicious.

This relatively new train is an upgrade of an old and elegant one. The interiors are really comfy and we had a blast. The A means Amakusa, which is the final destination of this train and where we were going next. We ordered whisky highballs, took photos, and watched the landscapes and seascapes passing by while listening to jazz music. The A-Train is a wonderful experience!

With the fresh summer breeze and under a blue sky, we headed towards the spot where the dolphins are supposed to be, one hour away from the shore. Once we arrived, we got so excited: there were many dolphins there swimming around the boats, and jumping around happily! It was a delight and a little bit of a challenge to take nice photos of them. As the sun started to set, we headed back towards the port extremely satisfied.

This Ryokan goes beyond the boundaries of the word amazing! My room had a private onsen and a terrace that felt like it was right on the sea. From there, I could see islands and both sunset and sunrise.

The sweets cruise ship is extremely elegant and classy and I would have enjoyed the cruise even without anything other than admiring the scenery and the beautiful bridges we got to see. However, the sweets were excellent and light at the same time. I would definitely come back here!

Amakusa, being far away from big cities, I was not expecting to go to a really nice restaurant there. But Yako Sushi prove me wrong. Not only were the two sushi chefs really friendly, but the quality of the sushi really surprised me. It started with delicious uni (sea urchin) with the rice that was slighlty warm. The whole thing just melted on my tongue as soon as it touched. The most unbelievable thing is that all the sushi gave me the same feeling, they were all so tender and tasty. I didn't know half of the fish I got to taste and I would love to go again to study the ingredients and enjoy it one more time. It is said that someone have ranked this sushi restaurant as one of the top 3 in Japan.

When we explored Amakusa, we didn't get the feeling that the area has any particular importance historical significance. It is way too quiet and far from the city that it didn't come to our mind that there could have been a major battle here that every Japanese person knows about. We learned at the Amakusa Christian Museum about the first steps of Catholicism in Japan, their rebellion against the shogunate and the difficult life the believers had to endure.

I had a wonderful trip with very good company (our two guides were really friendly and we had a lot of fun). Visiting only large cities in Japan is definitely not enough, there are so many things to do in the countryside that it is important to pick a specific area, such as Kumamoto, and spend a few days there, rather than quickly hopping to too many places and missing the experience of the real Japan.