iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Day 21: Ebisu I headed to Ebisu to try out Da Michele here. It does not compare to the one in Napoli, but it was still great. Some tiramisu to finish off an amazing trip. Afterwards I took the subway back to my hotel and prepared for tomorrow's flight.

Day 21: Shinjuku I headed to Kinokuniya. This bookstore had 8 floors for the public. I visited the 8th floor for some more manga. A brief visit to the 7th floor for the nihongo jouzu. Finally, the 2nd floor for the lounge and some literature. I had some ice cream later on.

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Day 21: Shibuya I headed to the Parco building in Shibuya. I visited several shops there, including the Nintendo Tokyo store. Afterwards, I had enough of Shibuya, truly a terrible place that reeks.

Day 21: Meguro I headed to Meguro to have some early lunch. A Cuban sandwich with matcha latte. Afterwards, I headed to the Meguro river to watch the cherry blossom float.

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Day 20: Tokyo We then headed towards Tokyo station for dinner. A small detour to the Imperial Palace gardens for some choice shots. Dinner was yakiniku, it was good. Afterwards, I headed back to my hotel to show my goods for the day.

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Day 20: Solamachi Then we browsed around the Solamachi shops. There was a jump store and pokemon center which was nice.

Day 20: Sumida Aquarium Next was the Sumida Aquarium, which was pretty neat. It had two floors of fish, some penguins and seals. They had schedules for them in the kitchen. The penguins had their own relationship chart. No same sex relationships here, but there was some infidelity going on.

Day 20: Tokyo Skytree Headed up to Tokyo Skytree with a friend from discord. There was a collaboration going on with My Hero Academia. The view from the observation deck was pretty great.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Day 19: Ueno Park I headed to Ueno Park to meet up with someone. It was nice seeing him again. We walked a bit, taking in the sights, and then headed for dinner. Was some nice unagi.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Day 19: Shinkansen to Tokyo I checked out of the hotel and took the shinkansen from Hakata to Tokyo. I can now say I saw the entire line from beginning to end. It was about 5.5 hours on the nozomi train, travelling 1000 km. I saw Fuji on the way.

Day 18: Hakata I took the subway back to Hakata station. There I had some good sushi. Tuna, yellowtail, shell miso soup, sea bream and flounder. There was a nice Chinese man talking to me, he actually studied here in Fukuoka. Afterwards I headed back to my hotel to rest for the night.

Day 18: Maizuru and Ohori Park I walked further to the parks in the title. They're adjacent to each other. There was a cherry blossom festival going on, so it was pretty lively. The Japanese garden was unfortunately closed, but I had a nice walk today and that's all that matters really.

Day 18: Parco and Mandarake On my way to Ohori Park I stumbled upon Parco and Mandarake. I had to go look around even if I didn't end up buying anything. I got a yuzu tea afterwards at a cafe nearby.

Day 18: Kirby Cafe Hakata I had made reservations at Kirby Cafe Hakata today at 12:00h. I got the green greens drink, simple curry and the mouthful dessert. It was quite tasty and a fun experience.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Day 17: Hakata I got back to Hakata station by bus. Spent some time shopping stores. Had an amazing Hakata ramen and gyoza in one of the restaurants on the 10th floor. Afterwards I headed back to my hotel to show the goods.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Day 17: Kyushu National Museum I then went to the Kyushu National Museum. They had a special exhibit about Haniwa, which the Yamato made in the Kofun era for high kings at burials. The main exhibit had stuff from the Jomon to late Edo period. I then had mochi afterwards.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Day 17: Dazaifu Tenmangu I took the bus from Hakata station to Dazaifu station. Then I saw the temple Dazaifu Tenmangu. Had some lunch nearby a pond. It was shrimp tempura udon. Pretty good.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Day 16: Uminonakamichi Seaside Park I walked to the park I passed earlier and entered. There were flowers and in the zoo some animals. I took some pics at Flower Hill and then walked back to the station. At Hakata, I had Saga wagyu for dinner.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Day 16: Marine World Uminonakamichi I took the train to an aquarium in Fukuoka. They had fish from around Kyushu. After seeing most of it I had a hamburger in the restaurant.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Day 15: Dejima I headed to Dejima, a place where the Dutch traded with Japan. They also lived there. The buildings have been reconstructed based on materials and building styles of the late 19th century. Afterwards I had kakuni manju. I asked for their recommendation. It was quite good.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Day 15: Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum I headed to the atomic bomb museum. There was sakura blooming here. Just like Hiroshima, it was an impressive display. I think I learned from these museums. Afterwards, I had a late lunch. It wasn't good enough unfortunately.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Day 15: Nagasaki Peace Park Got to Nagasaki later than planned, I headed to the Peace Park. Afterwards I had some lovely green tea at the nearby cafe.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Day 14: Hakata I picked up my luggage and headed to the shinkansen platform. Then took the first one to Hakata. After a hour I arrived at the station, my hotel was in walking distance. I had dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Day 14: Hiroshima Castle I walked to Hiroshima Castle from Shukkeien. The tower has exhibitions about the history of Hiroshima Castle, culture, weapons, and armour. The view from the observation platform is nice. Then I had lunch at the station and headed back to the hotel for my baggage.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Day 14: Shukkeien I checked out of the hotel and left my baggage at the baggage port for a while. I then walked to Shukkei-en, a Japanese garden in Hiroshima. It was pretty big and lots of beautiful sights. The sakura made for a great addition. Afterwards I had some matcha with anko.

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Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

Day 13: Onomichi (2/2) I had lunch on top. Then had a visit to the temples on the way back to the shopping street. At the harbor I had a great view as well as a great Onomichi ramen. I got an Ube ice cream afterwards. Then I took the train back to Hiroshima.

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Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

Day 13: Onomichi (1/2) I took a train and bus to Onomichi. Yes, that city featured in Yakuza 6. I walked through the shopping street and went up to Senkoji. Then, I went up to the observation platform and enjoyed a stunning view. I had a hassaku orange softcream and enjoyed the sakura blossom.

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Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Day 12: Hiroshima I took the tram back to the station and spend some time shopping. Afterwards I met up with someone also traveling in Hiroshima and together we had Hiroshima style okonomiyaki. It was fantastic, highly recommended.

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Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Day 12: Hiroshima Memorial Park I took the tram to the Atom Bomb Dome, where the remains of the prefectural hall are still there. The center part is still intact, but the sides have been destroyed. I also visited the museum in the park, it was grotesquely impressive.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Day 11: Hiroshima After visiting Miyajima, I took the ferry and train back to Hiroshima station. Then I had some dinner at a restaurant on the way back to my hotel.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Day 11: Miyajima (2/2) After talking to some American youngsters, I finished my matcha and climbed Mt. Misen. At the Shishiiwa observatory I enjoyed a fantastic scenery. I took the ropeway down. Then I visited Ikutsushima Shrine and the great torii at low tide. Afterwards I had lunch.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Day 11: Miyajima (1/2) I arrived at Miyajima after taking a train and ferry. First I headed to the great torii of Itsukushima, as it was just high tide. Then I visited Senjokaku and later Daishouin. I took a matcha break at the cafe afterwards.

Thud @thuddert.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Day 10: Hiroshima I arrived at Hiroshima and walked to my hotel from the station. They rang me up to confirm my luggage had arrived when I settled upstairs. I took some pics of the shopping I did at Nagoya today and I had chicken skin skewers for dinner in a restaurant nearby.