An Ignoramus in Japan: Manhole Covers

There are so many interesting things to see in Japan. Even the manhole covers! There are over 6000 manhole cover designs and I have only seen 0.30% of that number! (Some I missed to take a photo of, but have found photos of them thanks to citizens of the internet world!) Designs usually include the city/town's crest/seal/emblem, official flower/tree, and/or local spots.

TOKYO

Spotted in: Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo

This manhole cover is adorned with two of Tokyo's symbols:
somei-yoshino cherry blossom and ginkgo biloba tree.

Let's learn Kanji:
東京 Tokyo

下水道 (gesuido) sewer
合流 (goryu) confluence

TOKYO
Spotted in: Shibuya Ward, Tokyo

And this here is none other than Hachiko!
Saw this by the Hachiko Memorial Statue outside Shibuya Station.

TOYAMA

Spotted in: Ainokura Village, Nanto City, Toyama

On this manhole cover are azalea (flower) and paulownia (tree), the symbols of the former village of Taira, to which Ainokura belonged to. In 2004, four towns and four villages (including Taira Village) merged into what is now called Nanto City. This manhole was constructed before the merging. (Thanks to Gokayama Tourist Information Center for providing information about this design! I couldn't find it on any website.)

Let's learn Kanji:

排 (hai) drain

Photo by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons

HYOGO

Spotted in: Himeji City, Hyogo

Himeji City's manhole covers are decorated with the white heron and the orchid Pecteilis radiata (also known as White Egret Flower). These two are symbols of the city.

Let's learn Kana (Kanji and Hiragana):
消火栓 (shokasen) fire hydrant 

ひめじ Himeji

Let's learn Hiragana:
ひめじ Himeji

おすい (osui) sewage

HIROSHIMA

Spotted in: Miyajima/Itsukushima, Hiroshima

On the center of this manhole cover in Miyajima is the island's seal/emblem.

Let's learn Kanji:
汚水 (osui) sewage

Photo by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons

And why the maple leaves on this drain cover? Because the maple is Hiroshima prefecture's tree.

Let's learn Kanji:
広島県 (Hiroshima-ken) Hiroshima Prefecture + 木 (ki) tree

OSAKA

Spotted in: Chuo Ward, Osaka City, Osaka

On this manhole cover are Osaka City's seal/emblem, the city's tree (cherry tree), and Osaka Castle.

Let's learn Kanji:
中央区 (Chuo-ku) Chuo Ward

And this one shows some of the city's tourist attractions: Tombori river cruise, Dotonbori Canal, Osaka Castle, and...I don't know what the two buildings are. If you know, please leave a comment.

Let's learn Kanji:
大阪市 (Osaka-shi) Osaka City

空気弁 (kuki-ben) air valve

水道局 (suidokyoku) Waterworks Bureau

OSAKA

Spotted in: Toyonaka City, Osaka

Toyonaka City's manhole cover has roses (the city's flower) and a crocodile. Because crocs live in the city's sewers! Just kidding! The crocodile is Osaka University's official mascot Machikane-wani or Dr. Wani, named after the huge crocodile fossil discovered in 1964 in Osaka University's Toyonaka campus.

Let's learn Hiragana:
とよなか Toyonaka

WAKAYAMA

Spotted in: Koya Town, Wakayama

On the center of this manhole cover is Koya Town's emblem.

Let's learn Kanji:
汚水 (osui) sewage

Photo from Japan Visitor

NARA

Spotted in: Nara City, Nara

Nara is known for its more than 1,000 free-roaming deer in Nara Park, thus the deer on the manhole cover. The design also includes the city's flower, yaezakura (a variety of cherry blossom), and the city's emblem in the center.

Let's learn Kanji:
汚水 (osui) sewage

NARA

Spotted in: Ikaruga town, Nara

On Ikaruga Town's manhole cover are the Japanese black pine (the town's tree), camellia sasanqua (the town's flower), and Hokkiji (a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ikaruga Town).

Let's learn Hiragana:
いかるが Ikaruga

げすい (gesui) sewage

Colored version from Muza-chan's Gate to Japan

KYOTO

Spotted in: Kyoto City, Kyoto

I saw three different manhole cover designs in Kyoto City. All three have a simple patterned design with Kyoto City's crest on the center.

KYOTO

Spotted in: Uji City, Kyoto

In Uji City, I spotted two manhole covers that, like Kyoto City's covers, are designed with a pattern surrounding the city's emblem.

An interesting find was a colorful drain with Japanese globeflowers, Uji City's flower.

Let's learn Kana (Kanji and Hiragana):
市の花 (ichi no hana) City flower

やまぶき (yamabuki) Japanese globeflower

Another interesting find in Uji City was a manhole cover with maple (the city's tree) leaves, and Ujibashi (bridge), one of the most ancient bridges in Japan.

Let's learn Kanji:

宇治市 (Uji-shi) Uji City

汚水 (osui) sewage

Let's learn Kanji:

消火栓 (shokasen) fire hydrant

YAMANASHI

Spotted in: Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi

And here's one from my friend, Bunny, who visited Fujikawaguchiko recently. Thanks, Bunny! On this manhole cover are oenothera (the town's flower) and, on the center, the town's symbol.

Let's learn Hiragana:
おすい (osui) sewage

Have you seen any interesting manhole covers in Japan? Do send me a photo and its location and I will add it in this blogpost. Thank you, fellow drainspotter!



Japan
Know Before You Go
Single Entry Tourist Visa for Japan
Roam Around Japan with a Swagger
An Ignoramus in Japan: Vending Machines
An Ignoramus in Japan: Bathrooms and Toilets
An Ignoramus in Japan: Manhole Covers (you're here!)
I Spy With My Little Eye: Japan's Fashion Contradictions
I Spy With My Little Eye: On the Go in Japan

From Tokyo to Hiroshima (2015)
10D/9N | Tokyo, Toyama, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima
Tokyo Accommodation: Shinjuku Airbnb
Tokyo: Memorable Tokyo Eats
Tokyo: Odaiba
Tokyo: Doing Touristy Things in Tokyo
Toyama: A Hamlet Called Ainokura
Kyoto Accommodation: K's House Hostel Kyoto
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Wisdom from the Road: On exits #2
Kyoto: By the Thousands (Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove)
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Turning Japanese
Kyoto: Braving the Crowds at these UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto (Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji)
Hyogo, Japanecdote: If Only I Could Speak Nihongo
Hyogo: Day Trip to Himeji: Himeji Castle and Shoshazan Engyoji Temple
Hyogo, Japanecdote: Am I an Alien?
Hiroshima: Strolling and Snacking in Miyajima
Hiroshima: Remembering the Past in Hiroshima
Osaka, Japanecdote: How to Lose Friends
Osaka Accommodation: Osaka Airbnb
Osaka, Japanecdote: Where is Bentencho Station?
Osaka: Osaka Adlaw, Osaka Ako sa Osaka
Osaka, Japanecdote: Learn From Your Mistakes

Kansai Diaries (2016)
9D/9N | Nov 2016 | Wakayama, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kansai Region
Osaka: Day 0: Arrival
Osaka Accommodations: Hotel Raizan, Hotel Mikado
Wakayama: Day 1: Going to, Sleeping in, and Eating in Koyasan
Wakayama: Day 1.5: West Side of Koya Town
Wakayama: Koyasan Sidewalk Shorts
Wakayama: Days 1.75~2: Okunoin, Three Times
Nara: Sleep, Eat, and Explore Nara City
Nara: Day 3: Horyuji, Hokkiji, and Some Japanecdotes in Ikaruga Town
Nara: Day 3.5: Yakushiji, Toshodaiji, and Heijo Palace Site in Nara City
Nara: Day 4: Early Morning at Nara Park
Nara: Day 4.25: Naramachi Walking Tour
Nara: Day 4.5: Todaiji, Yoshiki-en, and Kofukuji in Nara Park
Kyoto Accommodations: Guesthouse Wind Villa, Shiori Yado
Kyoto: Day 5: Rainy Day in Uji City
Kyoto: Day 5.5: Tofukuji, Kawai Jinja, Shimogamo Jinja
Kyoto: Day 6: Ginkakuji, Ryoanji, Ninnaji
Kyoto: Day 6.75: Gion Night Walking Tour
Kyoto: Day 7: All Day in Arashiyama
Kyoto: Day 8: Last Day in Kyoto
Osaka: Day 8.75: Dizzying Dotonbori
Osaka: Day 9: Osaka, Over and Out

A Hamlet Called Ainokura

We rose with the sun on a Sunday (on a Sunday, imagine that!), hurriedly washed the sleep from our faces, dressed, tidied and locked our little airbnb apartment, and stepped out into the 12˚C Tokyo morning. We dragged our luggage along the pavement to Shinjuku Station, passing by intoxicated costumed people still up from a long night of halloween partying. We stifled a laugh and puzzled over what a guy wearing just a pullover and briefs was supposed to be. But there was no time for guessing, we had to hurry in order to make two transfers and not miss the infrequent bus to our destination: a hamlet called Ainokura, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Toyama Prefecture, some 400 km west of Tokyo.

From Shinjuku Station, we took the JR line to Tokyo Station. In Tokyo Station, we bought boxed meals from one of the many stalls before hurrying to find the right platform for the Hakutaka train on the Hokuriku Line (the shinkansen line that connects Tokyo and Kanazawa).

Tokyo JR Station

The Hakutaka has arrived (at Shin-Takaoka Station)

3 hours from Tokyo to Shin-Takaoka

Breakfast on the go: ekiben (boxed meal bought at one of the stalls in Tokyo Station, 850 yen)

On the way to Shin-Takaoka: the urban skyline gave way to the countryside

At 260 kph, the scenery zoomed from an urban jungle to mountains and green fields and soon our stop (Shin-Takaoka Station) was announced and our three-hour shinkansen ride was over. Before proceeding to the bus stop just outside Shin-Takaoka station, we dropped by the tourist information desk to ask for the bus schedule and to ask where the coin lockers were. Since we were staying just a night at Ainokura, we decided to leave our bags in coin lockers in the station and to bring only what was necessary for a one-night stay.

Coin lockers

Countryside views on the way to Ainokura

The one-hour bus ride didn't seem long at all. We were dropped off on the side of the road and the bus driver pointed to a path off to the side of a deserted parking lot. It was a pleasant 5-minute walk along a narrow tree-lined and leaf-strewn 300-meter long path. And then the path gave way to wide open space and our eyes beheld a wondrous rural landscape: some twenty farmhouses with tall A-shaped thatch roofs (gassho-zukuri or gassho-style, like hands pressed together in prayer) embraced by mountains all ablaze in warm autumn colors. Ah, it was love at first sight.

Welcome candy!

We replaced our hanging lower jaws and peeled our eyes off the scenery. That's when we spotted a basket of candies by the side of the road with a sign in Japanese which we took to mean as "welcome to Ainokura, please get a candy" (yes, I gladly got a candy). We moved away from the free candy basket and focused on finding Goyomon, the minshuku (family run bed and breakfast) that we had booked through the Japanese Guesthouses website. (You can also book Goyomon through booking.com.)

We found our house, thanks to the wooden sign outside: 五ヨ門, which we knew to mean as Goyomon. We knocked on the door, but there was no answer. We tried the door, it was unlocked, and we gingerly walked into the genkan (entryway, usually recessed or lower than the main house) calling out sumimasen (すみません excuse me) until a motherly figure appeared from the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. She welcomed us in her limited English while we struggled to get out of our shoes and slip into the house slippers waiting on a wooden shelf off to the side of the genkan. She led us across a tatami room (a room with woven straw mats as flooring; we had to remove our slippers before entering) then opened the fusuma (sliding door) to our room: a bare tatami room with sliding doors on all sides, and on the corner, a basket of neatly folded yukata (a robe, or a casual version of a kimono). In a few strides we walked the perimeter of our room as a way of inspection and dumped our bags in the farthest corner, then trailed after our host: crossed the tatami room, slipped our house slippers on, and continued through the wood-floored hallway, leading us to a table in the back where she then brought us a pot of matcha (green tea) and biscuits with a drawing of a gassho-style house.

Goyomon, our home for the night

Welcome snack: biscuit and tea

We took our time nibbling and sipping our welcome biscuit and tea. Curious if there was a garden out back, I opened the shoji (wooden sliding door with translucent paper), letting in the chilly mountain air and unfolding a scene that made me immediately thank God that we were brought to this corner of Japan.

Thank you God

We spent the day walking around Ainokura, hiking to the viewpoint, admiring the houses and the backdrop of mountains awash with the colors of autumn, and rubbing our hands to keep the autumn chill away. We ate lunch at Matsuya, a restaurant, souvenir shop, and convenience store all crammed under one gassho-style roof. (There are only two dining options in Ainokura.) There were a handful of Japanese day trippers doing the same things we did.

Matsuya, a souvenir shop, convenience store, and restaurant all rolled into one

Sansai Soba (soba with wild vegetables, 950 yen) at Matsuya
Oops! I made a boo-boo in this photo: watshibashi (chopsticks across the rim of the bowl)

Ainokura from the viewpoint

Ainokura is a small village but we managed to spend all our time outside. Only when it started to get dark and all the day trippers had left and there were no other tourists but us did we decide to call it a day and head back to Goyomon, where we found our room already laid out with warm futon.

Futon

My friends and I rejoiced when we found we were the only guests that night and more rejoicing when we found out that Goyomon had a private ofuro (a Japanese bath). We were afraid we'd have to go to a sento (public bath house) because we were told, when we made the booking, that Goyomon didn't have a private bath. In the ofuro was a low tap with a detachable showerhead, bottles of shampoo and bath gel (all labeled in Japanese syllabic script or kana), a low plastic stool in front of the tap, and a bath tub of hot water. I was the last to use the ofuro and I knew (hoped) my friends were smart enough to soap, shampoo, and rinse before soaking in the tub!

My hair was still dripping and my yukata askew when we were called to have dinner. In the tatami room just outside our bedroom, zabuton (thin pillows for sitting on) and gozen (small low tables) with a delicious looking dinner was already set up around the irori (sunken hearth used to cook food and heat the room). Joining us for dinner were the couple who owned Goyomon and their friends, three grannies aged 66, 83, and 96.

Home-cooked dinner!

The home-cooked dinner was so good that I ate everything that was served and had to loosen my yukata's sash. The host's 66-year-old friend who was drinking some kind of Japanese liquor offered us drinks but we declined. After dinner, our host showed us a video of her daughter performing and playing a traditional wooden musical instrument called a sasara (made up of 108 wooden slats joined together by rope). When the performance ended, she brought out two sasara and two sets of wooden sticks (I don't know what these sticks are called) and taught us how to use these traditional Japanese percussion instruments. When she deemed our musical skills satisfactory, she sang the oldest folk song in Japan called Kokiriku-bushi, but in a faster pace and a livelier manner, and we laughingly fumbled with our instruments as we tried to keep up with her singing.

Playing a Japanese folk song with cute grannies as our audience

The night went on with conversations in two languages: us in English, them in Japanese. We bridged this gap by treating our conversations like we were playing charades. At one point the topic (or category, if you will) was local life. One granny drew a horizontal line in the air with her right hand, and the other hand at hip level, a fist. None of us understood what it meant. The grannies took turns in gesturing and making sounds, helping each other to get the message across, but still our faces were big question marks. Eventually, after I don't know how many tries, everyone (us and them) burst out laughing when we understood what they were saying: That because of the heavy snow during winter, they have to dig two meters just to get a potato! It was a night filled with laughter and it went by quickly.

Soon it was time to retire to bed, but before doing so I went to the washroom to brush my teeth. Midbrush, 66-year-old drunk grandma walked in and gave me a hug! (I guess she found my roundness and fluffiness irresistible! Haha!) I hugged her back and through the bubbly toothpaste in my mouth bade her oyasumi nasai (おやすみなさい good night).

Breakfast is ready

Breakfast was already waiting when we woke up. Mealtime this time was quiet and behaved (with grandma already sober). We only had three hours left in Ainokura and before we had to leave for our next destination, we went to Ainokura's museums: Ainokura Folklore Museum and Ainokura Traditional Industry Museum (350 yen for the combination ticket). The Folklore Museum showcases life in Gokayama region with displays of tools and other things used in daily life. It also has information on how gassho-zukuri houses are built and why they are built that way. The Traditional Industry Museum tells about the industries of Gokayama such as making washi paper and silk (sericulture).

It would have been nice to try our hand at making washi at the Gokayama Washi Workshop, but our time was up: we had to catch the bus back to Shin-Takaoka Station, retrieve our bags, and then take two train rides to our next destination. Four hours on the road until we reach Kyoto.

Accommodations in Ainokura: There are six minshuku in Ainokura and an overnight stay (with dinner and breakfast) ranges from 8800 yen to 15000 yen per person. We stayed in Goyomon and it set us back 8800 yen each (this was November 2015). (Book Goyomon through booking.com.) It was the most expensive accommodation I have ever spent on but the experience was well worth every yen I had to coax out of my pocket! If time and money had permitted, I would have loved to have stayed one more night.

Directions from Tokyo to Ainokura: Take the Hokuriku shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Shin-Takaoka Station (3 hours; fare is at least 13000 yen). At Shin-Takaoka Station, take the Kaetsuno World Heritage Bus headed for Shirakawago, but alight at Ainokura-guchi bus stop. The bus ride takes an hour and will cost 1000 yen. Note that buses from Shin-Takaoka go to Shirakawago five times a day only.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: There are three historic Japanese villages included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list: Ogimachi in Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture, the largest (59 houses) and the most popular, and the two smaller villages in Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture: Ainokura (23 houses) and Suganuma (9 houses). These villages are not open-air museums but are real villages where people live. When visiting these villages, please keep in mind to behave and keep voices down.

Further reading: Here's a good read about the Ainokura that I saw, learned, and experienced but didn't have the talent to put down in words: The Temporal Shift of Ainokura Village.

Japan

Know Before You Go
Single Entry Tourist Visa for Japan
Roam Around Japan with a Swagger
An Ignoramus in Japan: Vending Machines
An Ignoramus in Japan: Bathrooms and Toilets
An Ignoramus in Japan: Manhole Covers
I Spy With My Little Eye: Japan's Fashion Contradictions
I Spy With My Little Eye: On the Go in Japan

From Tokyo to Hiroshima (2015)
10D/9N | Tokyo, Toyama, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima
Tokyo Accommodation: Shinjuku Airbnb
Tokyo: Memorable Tokyo Eats
Tokyo: Odaiba
Tokyo: Doing Touristy Things in Tokyo
Toyama: A Hamlet Called Ainokura (you're here!)
Kyoto Accommodation: K's House Hostel Kyoto
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Wisdom from the Road: On exits #2
Kyoto: By the Thousands (Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove)
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Turning Japanese
Kyoto: Braving the Crowds at these UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto (Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji)
Hyogo, Japanecdote: If Only I Could Speak Nihongo
Hyogo: Day Trip to Himeji: Himeji Castle and Shoshazan Engyoji Temple
Hyogo, Japanecdote: Am I an Alien?
Hiroshima: Strolling and Snacking in Miyajima
Hiroshima: Remembering the Past in Hiroshima
Osaka, Japanecdote: How to Lose Friends
Osaka Accommodation: Osaka Airbnb
Osaka, Japanecdote: Where is Bentencho Station?
Osaka: Osaka Castle and Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai
Osaka, Japanecdote: Learn From Your Mistakes

Itinerary and Budget: Tokyo to Hiroshima

Japan has always been on top of my to-visit list, but my wallet, convinced that it is a very expensive country, kept pushing it to the bottom. Then my brain slapped my wallet hard on its leatherette face and said "If not now, when? This mustache is not getting any younger." I bought a ticket with nary a travel companion in sight.

It was months after buying a plane ticket did I find three travel companions. When they themselves finally found and bought not so expensive tickets, we came up with a 10-day itinerary.

How we spent our 10 days

Arrive in Narita, blaze from Tokyo to Hiroshima, spending just a day or two in each of the six prefectures our ten days would allow, then wave またね "mata ne" from the plane in Kansai. We and our wallets can do this!  頑張って! Ganbatte!

How much I spent for my 10 days in Japan

This trip happened in 2015 when the exchange rate was 0.38 PHP per 1 JPY.

At the current exchange rate of 0.45, the total in Philippine peso would be 45,325.

I've always thought I'd need about Php 10,000 per day in Japan. As you can see from the table of expenses above, I was wrong. And I'm so glad I was wrong. Yes, it is still expensive for a white collar worker like me. And yes, this is the most expensive trip I have ever been on. But not an impossible trip, see?

Plane Ticket. Regular priced roundtrip plane tickets between the Philippines and Japan can go from Php 10,000 to Php 25,000 depending on the destination and on the airline. Like all of my posts about expenses, I did not include the cost of the plane tickets because I usually buy them six to twelve months in advance, during airline promotions. Since Filipinos need a visa to enter Japan, it is recommended to obtain a visa first before buying a ticket. I risked it though knowing full well that if I wasn't granted a visa, my tickets would not be refunded.

Visa. Philippine passport holders should apply for a visa not more than three months before their intended date of travel. Visa applications can only be processed through accredited travel agencies. Applying for a single entry visa would cost Php 1,300. In addition to the visa fee, expect to shell out some cash to obtain these requirements: photo, bank certificate, birth certificate, marriage certificate.

Accommodation. I had set a budget of Php 13,500 per person (about 35,500 JPY with an exchange rate of 0.38) for 9 nights for accommodation (average of Php 1,500 a night) and the one we had assigned to take care of booking accommodations did a very good job of keeping within budget (total of 30,091 JPY for 9 nights). My three friends and I stayed in Airbnb apartments, a hostel, and even a minshuku (a family operated bed and breakfast)! There are many properties on Airbnb, you just have to be meticulous as the initial price shown is the cost per night only; there will be additional fees (cleaning fee and service fee). A dorm bed in a hostel would cost 2,500 JPY and above; most hostels in Japan do not offer free breakfast. The most expensive accommodation for this trip was the minshuku in Ainokura Village, which set us back 8,800 JPY (Php 3,350) each for a night, but this also included awesome home cooked breakfast and dinner and a very memorable stay at a farmhouse.

Food. You can save on food if you are willing to eat onigiri (rice balls) for your every meal. We decided not to be such tightwads and ate at a variety of places. Sometimes we'd buy boxed meals from convenience stores, sometimes from shops at the stations, sometimes we'd eat in fastfood donburi or soba or curry shops, sometimes in restaurants (like Gogyo in Roppongi, their burnt ramen was so good!). Our meals would range from 400 JPY to 1,200 JPY, spending an average of 2,300 JPY per day.

Transportation. Fares in Japan are really high (minimum fare for the subway is 150 JPY) and taking the shinkansen (bullet train) would cost a chunk. It would be expensive to get lost in Japan. It is best to research and plot your itinerary beforehand then see which passes would be beneficial for your trip. In Kyoto, we forgot to buy a 1-day subway pass (600 JPY); with the pass we could have saved 130 JPY (see * in table of expenses). The 7-day JR pass (29,110 JPY if bought outside of Japan; 33,000 JPY if bought at select stations in Japan, on a trial run until March 31, 2018) ate almost a third of my budget, but with our itinerary, we also made the most out of it (we used the JR Pass for a total of 55,530 JPY on regular fares, taking the shinkansen seven times, and local lines and limited express trains several times).

Admission Fees. Most of the temples, castles, and gardens will charge an admission fee from 200 JPY to 1,500 JPY. Some would also have audio guides available for rent. Some would also offer combo tickets. Do research beforehand.

Others. For this trip, we did not rent a pocket WiFi. Our Airbnb accommodations in Tokyo and in Osaka provided one, so we were connected in those cities. We survived going around Kyoto without one. What we did spend on were lockers to lessen our burden: we were staying just one night in Ainokura Village and did not need to take all our belongings with us; in Osaka, we left our bags in a locker because the check in time wasn't until late in the afternoon; on our last day, from check out time until flight time, we did not want to drag our bags around Osaka. Lockers can be found in every station, but not all stations will have the large lockers (700 JPY per day for a large locker; 500 JPY for a medium locker; 300 JPY for a small locker. The locker fee is per calendar day, not per 24-hour period).

In the end, I was tired (we were always on the go, moving from one place to another), but I was absolutely glad I did it. Even before the plane could take off for home, my brain was already plotting a return (with my starving wallet shivering at the thought).

Japan
Know Before You Go
Single Entry Tourist Visa for Japan
Roam Around Japan with a Swagger
An Ignoramus in Japan: Vending Machines
An Ignoramus in Japan: Bathrooms and Toilets
An Ignoramus in Japan: Manhole Covers
I Spy With My Little Eye: Japan's Fashion Contradictions
I Spy With My Little Eye: On the Go in Japan

From Tokyo to Hiroshima (2015)
10D/9N | Tokyo, Toyama, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima (you're here!)
Tokyo Accommodation: Shinjuku Airbnb
Tokyo: Memorable Tokyo Eats
Tokyo: Odaiba
Tokyo: Doing Touristy Things in Tokyo
Toyama: A Hamlet Called Ainokura
Kyoto Accommodation: K's House Hostel Kyoto
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Wisdom from the Road: On exits #2
Kyoto: By the Thousands (Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove)
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Turning Japanese
Kyoto: Braving the Crowds at these UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto (Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji)
Hyogo, Japanecdote: If Only I Could Speak Nihongo
Hyogo: Day Trip to Himeji: Himeji Castle and Shoshazan Engyoji Temple
Hyogo, Japanecdote: Am I an Alien?
Hiroshima: Strolling and Snacking in Miyajima
Hiroshima: Remembering the Past in Hiroshima
Osaka, Japanecdote: How to Lose Friends
Osaka Accommodation: Osaka Airbnb
Osaka, Japanecdote: Where is Bentencho Station?
Osaka: Osaka Castle and Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai
Osaka, Japanecdote: Learn From Your Mistakes