Places I Want to Go in Japan (Again)

Kansai
I used to live in Osaka. I studied there for three months while I was in school. Gravitating towards the familiar, I tried to find a job there when I came back to Japan, but was thrown into the madness of Tokyo.

Being in Tokyo ended up being OK, but the first year I was there I went to Osaka 5 times. The following year I went 4, then 2, then 1, and now it's been 3 years since I've been back.

I miss it.

There are tons of things to do in Kansai since there are four major (and historical) cities that make up the heart of it.You can't go wrong in an area that has Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara within an express train ride of each other.


         


Tokyo
By the end of my time in Tokyo, I was ready to get out and not look back. Long commutes, heat, crowds; after 4 years it all got to me. After getting out, I found myself looking back and ready to re-enter the madness.

When I do get back, I'm going to have to make a trip down to Kamakura.

    


Kumamoto
To be fair, I only spent an evening and a night in Kumamoto passing through on my way from Kagoshima going to Fukuoka. My time there was far too short in this castle town and I don't remember much.

But what I do remember, I liked and I have family here now.


Mt Fuji
There's an expression that only a fool would climb Mt. Fuji twice. Well, I'm that fool.

It rained almost the entire hike when I climbed Mt. Fuji in 2003 and when we finally got to the top there was nothing to see.

Next time I go I want to see the sunrise, or there could be a third climb in my future.




Hiroshima
This was another city where I didn't spend enough time. However, most of my time was spent on Miyajima,but that was 13 years ago. I'd like to get back, see the city, and I'll definitely go back to Miyajima.

There is too much history here to pass up.

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Toyota Cavalier

I'm not exactly a car buff, but this caught my eye when I was going through Sendai. This is the first time I'd seen one of these cars that were re-branded to avoid restrictions on exports.

Why not just get a Toyota. It would probably last longer.

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Date FM 77.1

One thing I missed about driving, maybe the only thing, was listening to music in the car. There is something about the combination of freedom and music that really appeals to me. The car I got merely has a cassette deck and I don't have any tapes.

I went through the FM stations praying that there would be something more than J-Pop or Top 40. I landed on a station that was playing a song that seemed like it was OK so I stayed. That station, you guessed it, was Date FM 77.1. Date FM (not pronounced da-te as in Date Masamune, but rather date as in going out for dinner and a movie, date) doesn't play a whole lot of music. However the music they do play is diverse, and listenable.

I have a new found respect for Japanese music and I'm looking to hear more of it.

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