I made it back
16 November 2025
Okayama to Tokyo on the bullet train
Now I have returned to a hotel in Tokyo I have stayed at before. That means that after today there are no more bullet trains, no more hotel photos....
A lot of potato
15 November 2025
More Okayama Aeon mall
As threatened, I went back to the mall. While there I visited the public toilets, and for the second time on this trip, I was taken aback by a boy....
Bear mountain
15 November 2025
Kumayama from Imbe to Kumayama station
Another great hike today. More great weather. Today's mountain literally translates to bear mountain. I saw no bears. I also saw no other people o....
Dinner theatre
14 November 2025
Okayama on a Friday
I tried once again to find the illusive Okayama night life area. This being a Friday I thought that maybe entire dark streets might spring to life....
All in a single day
14 November 2025
Okayama Castle Korakuen and Kurashiki
I knocked off all 3 of the tourist attractions in Okayama before 2pm. Notes here will be brief as there are a lot of photos (again). First up was ....
Longer than an epoch
13 November 2025
Okayama Aeon mall
Geology lesson time. Eon > Era > Period > Epoch. Generally an eon is billions of years. Now for a language lesson. In UK English it is aeon, in US....
The hunt for the castle cat
13 November 2025
Bicchu Matsuyama Castle from Bitchu-Takahashi station
There are at least 3 ways to spell Bicchu (Bitchu, Bitcchu). Today I did a not very strenuous hike that features a castle. It is 'one of the twelv....
Station takeover
12 November 2025
Omotecho shopping street
I have already done a full comparison of the station area and the covered shopping streets on both sides of the station area. The winner by a land....
Back to the mainland
12 November 2025
Takamatsu to Okayama on the slow train
Other than changing to the Shinkansen at the station on a previous trip to Shikoku, now I am in Okayama for the first time. It seems large and fan....