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[jetsettermac]

47 photos, 47 prefectures

while i was dealing with the reality of going home after all that time spent in japan, i decided to pick out one representative photo that i took during on my travels.

i finally put them all together, so it's time to share a collage of my last five years of adventure!

[jetsettermac]

goodbye japan

july 28, 2023

i have officially completed five years on the jet program and gone back to america, which is crazy to think about. five years seems both long and short, and now i've got the long journey ahead of reintegrating myself back into american culture.

the photos above are from my last days in fukuoka, gifts from my students, and the fancy send-off my school gave me.

honestly i will very much miss my life in japan, my friends, and my students, but i was ready for a job change. it's time to go forward to a new adventure.

this blog will stay up but likely will not be updated as my time in japan has come to an end. however, i welcome any questions or comments, especially from jet program participants, most of whom are already starting their own journeys.

[jetsettermac]

churaumi aquarium & ocean expo park, okinawa | july 2, 2023

motobu, ocean expo park, churaumi aquarium, motobu orion hotel

>> read about it here <<

>> see all okinawa posts <<

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nakijinjo, okinawa | july 2, 2023

nakijin city, nakijin castle ruins

>> read about it here <<

>> see all okinawa posts <<

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kourijima, okinawa | july 2, 2023

kourijima, kouri beach, yagajijima, warumi bridge

>> read about it here <<

>> see all okinawa posts <<

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naha & surrounding area, okinawa | july 1, 2023

naha, tomigusuku, kokusaidori, former japanese navy underground bunker, naminoue shrine, nago

>> read about it here <<

>> see all okinawa posts <<

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okinawa

june 30-july 3, 2023

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i conquered my final prefecture: okinawa!

i had two full days in okinawa, so the first day i spent in naha. i visited naminoue shrine to get my goshuin, rested a bit in the hotel, then ventured out to tomigusuku to the former japanese navy underground bunker. i didn't take many photos in there because it didn't feel right, since a lot of people died and it's a war memorial. however the bunker has an above-ground museum you can wander around before descending into the bunker. going down about 300 meters you can check out clearly marked passageways and rooms that were used during WWII. after that i rested a bit more (it was HOT!!) and then took a stroll down kokusaidori, where i bought some souveniers and tried taco rice!

the second day i had booked a bus tour of northern okinawa. i don't normally enjoy tours as i don't like to be limited, but i immensely enjoyed this bus tour. i feel like the time spent in each place was perfect, and the bus had english audio guide to listen to. on the bus tour we visited kourijima, which is an outlying island near nakijin city, then nakijin itself to visit the nakijin castle ruins, which are a unesco world heritage site. then we had lunch at the motobu orion hotel, and from there had plenty of free time to explore churaumi aquarium and ocean expo park.

okinawa is truly a beautiful place. i especially liked the northern part, with the bus tour. northern okinawa main island has mountains, greens, and oceans of different colors. it was probably the best way to end my 47 prefecture mission.

[jetsettermac]

departure preparation

june 2023

i have been preparing to leave Japan for a lot longer than just this month, but this month is when the preparations have kicked into overdrive! I’ve spent my free time at work preparing a tax agent to receive money on my behalf, organizing my utilities and apartment handover with my office, cleaning out my desk, writing my farewell speech, and, at home, making more boxes to send home. it’s a lot of work!

my final major trip will be june 30 through july 3 in okinawa, and then i will have visited all 47 prefectures of japan, which is a goal i’ve had since i arrived here. i am also planning a d&s train trip on yufuin no mori train, which is this really beautiful sightseeing train.

there’s a lot going on but life is pretty good i think.

[jetsettermac]

matsuyama, ehime | may 5-7, 2023

iya valley (tokushima), mitsu itsukushima shrine, dogo onsen, botchan clock

>> read about it here <<

>> see all golden week 2023 posts <<

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kochi, kochi | may 3-5, 2023

kochi castle, kochi castle museum, tsuribune shrine, kochi shopping arcades

>> read about it here <<

>> see all golden week 2023 posts <<

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tokushima, tokushima | may 4, 2023

awaodori museum, tenjin shrine

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takamatsu, kagawa | april 30-may 3, 2023

ritsurin garden, symbol tower, tamura shrine, sanuki udon

>> read about it here <<

>> see all golden week 2023 posts <<

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golden week: shikoku

april 30-may 7, 2023

>> see all golden week 2023 posts <<

for golden week this year i decided to visit the four prefectures on the island of shikoku!

you can get to shikoku by ferry, plane, or train. i choose train, so i came in through okayama on a bridge over the seto inland sea, which was really cool!

for most people, including me, takamatsu city in kagawa prefecture is the gateway to shikoku. i spent the first several days of my golden week there. the first day was a travel day, but the second day i spent exploring takamatsu. i visited ritsurin garden, which is one of japan's most beautiful gardens (though not the top three). it was a really nice garden with a clearly laid out walking path throughout. i also gathered up my courage and went up to the observatory in symbol tower, which offers views of takamatsu city and the seto inland sea from the 29th floor. finally, i visited a shrine deep into the city to get my kagawa goshuin.

the following day i had a day trip to tokushima. i originally was going to visit the naruto whirlpool, but they only appear during high/low tide so timing the visit can be difficult. ultimately i decided to visit tokushima city instead, and went to the awaodori museum and the nearby shrine. when i came back i tried sanuki udon, which was pretty good!

after that was a travel day to kochi city. perhaps one of my favorite days, the views from the train through central shikoku were immaculate! we went through the iya valley, and i got to see oboke gorge from the train window.

kochi city was really fun. it's the type of city that really lets its hair down at night. i visited the castle museum, the castle grounds, a shrine, and the shopping streets in downtown kochi. there's something really nice about a pacific city with tall palm trees and a relaxed nightlife!

the day after was another travel day, going back up through central shikoku and then over to matsuyama city in ehime. unfortunately the bad weather was rolling in, so that same day i made a quick visit to dogo onsen and the surrounding area, which is a really cool area. there's a cute animated clock that plays music through the day, and there's a shopping street with lots of souvenir opportunities. dogo onsen is currently being renovated but even so, you can still see the front!

on may 6, the last full day, it did heavy-rain. however, before it started i was able to visit a shrine in ehime and get a new goshuin book because i filled up the old one! my hotel was near okaidou shopping street which was convenient for the rainy day situation, since it's covered.

and may 7th i went home from ehime via okayama! i had originally planned to go on the jet ferry, but with the weather being terrible for two straight days i decided it's safer to take the train.

to sum it all up, shikoku is known as this backwater country sort of place, and in some ways it is. it's not very accessible for wheelchair users, and most places required paper tickets and could not accept ic cards for trains, BUT everyone i met was super kind and wanted to chat (shoutout to the man at the shrine who let me take cute pictures of my new goshuin), and shikoku just has a vibe about it that's very cool and fun. i would love to go back next time i'm in japan.

[jetsettermac]

atami, shizuoka | april 1-3, 2023

>> read about it here <<

[jetsettermac]

atami, shizuoka

april 1-3, 2023

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after i went to kawaguchiko i took the train the long way around to atami! atami is an onsen town at the entrance to the izu peninsula. there's all kinds of nature and stuff there, but i was pretty exhausted by the time i got there so i didn't do much in the way of that.

i did walk to the beach, called atami sun beach, and i did check out the shopping arcades near the station and in an area called ginza. you can buy a lot of cool souvenirs there and there's a lot of good food in those areas.

i will admit this part of the trip was a disappointment simply because i overestimated my stamina after surgery. i didn't get to do the things i wanted to do because i was so tired. but now i know it's on the list of places i'd like to go back to when i have the chance!

[jetsettermac]

kawaguchiko, yamanashi | march 30-april 1, 2023

>> read about it here <<

[jetsettermac]

kawaguchiko, yamanashi

march 30-april 1, 2023

>> see photos <<

my first trip after my surgery was to kawaguchiko in yamanashi prefecture!

kawaguchiko is one of the five lakes surrounding mt fuji. it's the most popular and the most established as a tourist destination. there are sightseeing buses and plenty of hotels and museums in the area, plus access to the other lakes.

i got very lucky and ended up having great weather the whole time despite the weather app saying it was going to be rainy! it took a long time to get there so the first day was a travel day, and the second day was my only full day there. i spent the day walking around the north side of the lake to the natural living museum. the north side is the best place to take photos of fuji in kawaguchiko. the natural living museum has some nice gardening outside and a store for souvenirs inside. after that i got the bus to the yamanashi gem museum, which was really neat actually! they had gems from all over the world in both raw and refined form, as well as minerals from all over japan. after that i realized i'd ripped my jeans LOL and had to go back to the hotel. i ended up taking a short rest because i was still tired from the surgery, and i ended up going back to the north side of the lake to catch the sunset.

highly recommend this area for a relaxing trip with great views!