30 Sept 2023

Naoshima

Got up really early, made it to Kyoto station just in time for the 7.20 train

Got to Okayama and found a bus to Uno straight away - a feat considering the tourist info office was closed. A nice old dude recognised our lost looks and helped us locate the correct bus stop.

Bust Uno then a short, pleasant, smooth, ferry to Miyanoura Port. We walked off the ferry to the bicycle shop. Thankfully the booking was all good and we soon had an e-bike each. We were also able to leave our luggage there. 

I found the bike challenging to start with but it was great in the end. 

We rode round to the base of the Benesse section which you can't take bikes up. We walked all the way up to the top in the heat, murray and I argued on the way. It was shit. Then when we got to the top - just in time for the 1:00 booking we realised that the 1:00 booking was for the Time Corridors which was at the bottom of the hill. We caught a shuttle bus down and didn't get there til like 1:25. Thankfully they still let us in. The museum wasn't big and most of it was dark fuzzy photography which didn't do much for either of us and Violet meandered outside cause she wasn't feeling well. The adult tickets included a little tea/snack thing which was actually beautiful. Murray had the sencha and I had the houjicha and both had a beautiful little red-bean paste-filled sort of shortbread thing which came with a little katana looking blade to cut it up.

We then caught the bus back up to Chi Chu which was architecturally interesting - all based on geometry, squares, circles, pentagons, triangles - courtyards, an amazing endless space thing which we stepped up into, light, concrete, also monets.

Then we cycled back to find our place to check in and amazingly they had delivered our luggage and provided snacks and waters. It is such a beautiful house. Traditional tatami, full kitchen, robes, etc.

We walked round to find some dinner and the only place that had room was a taverny type place and we ordered a shit-tonne of food. Murray had sake that they overpoured into its litte box thing it sat in. We both got a sour (me lemon, him peach) and we all ate a lot of food: fries, rice, tempura, chicken-wrapped gyoza that were like little sausages and had japanese mustard with them (kirashi?), prawns, sashimi, steak, edamame.

7-11 dessert: weird gross apple-pie icecream, even more gross cream puff thing, cake, chocolate eclair, icecreams with choc cubes...

We wached the Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on Netflix. It was lovely.

Up and down sort of day. Overall good, I think.

16,565 steps

11.14 km