Selena-Amory

I started at the shukkein gardens, where I strolled around for about 2 hours enjoying the scenery. The gardens were originally designed in 1620, and were redone after the bombing. Shukkeien's name can be translated into English as "shrunken-scenery garden". I even snuck pictures of a couple doing their wedding photos. They were gorgeous. After having some matcha at the garden, I went on to Hiroshima castle. It was nice, and I got to dress up like a samurai. A woman stopped and helped me get everything tied right, even though she was just touring as well. Her friends and her got a kick out of me. When I left I had some ramune and matcha ice c

So I rushed to Hiroshima so that I'd be able to go to the Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama. It's the Onsen that is said to have inspired the main bath house of the studio Ghibli film; Spirited Away. It took me 4 hours to get there by train, but it would have been even longer if I'd gone from Beppu like I had originally planned. The Onsen was gorgeous! It really did feel like I was in the spirited away Onsen at times. Especially all the steep staircases that Sen has to climb in the onsen. Couldn't take pictures inside, but I took some in my private changing room. I got to use 2 different baths, and I got complimentary shampoo, soap and a hair dryer in

The trains to Beppu took 7 hours. I had o take 2 trains to get to Tokyo station, the 2 Shinkansen, then another train just to get there. 'Twas a long day. I made a penpal on the train. A little 70 lady, was trying to talk to me in English, it wasn't bad, but I was also trying to do my accounting. After a bit of silence from her, she passes me a note in scraggly English. So we had a short conversation on paper. She wanted my contact info, I think so she could have an English practise partner. She was very nice and even shook my hand when it was her stop. I ate a bento with what I believe was Kobe beef, though since I can't read it, I'm not s