I visited ラーメン 天外天 熊本駅店 on May 10, 2024. I gave it a 3.3 on Tabelog.

I've done a lot of castles in Japan, but after the 2016 earthquake, I really had no idea what to expect from Kumamoto-jo. The degree to which the restoration project has seemingly made the castle more accessible to the general public is really impressive.

You can tell something is up when you walk the massive sky bridge from the castle town to the structure itself. When you enter the castle, the amount of modern infrastructure present—from steel beams supporting the stonework to drywall and air conditioning—is a little overwhelming. All-in-all, it's a really cool 2-3 hour diversion, but prepare for a lot of walking!

If you like garlic and tonkotsu ramen, this'll do. The stock (I think?) also has some amount of chicken stock, which definitely gives the broth a unique flavor compared to other hakata ramen in the area.

Yoshoku is often mistaken for simply meaning "Western food" in Japan, but it's really it's own genre, with its own distinct vibe and standard menu. Walking into a great yoshoku place feels like entering an alternate Western history, if that makes any sense.

Anyway, this place has a great ハンバーグ(hamburger steak), which is not to be confused with a ハンバーガー(hamburger sandwich).

See my Tabelog check-in here.

I visited 豊後牛ステーキの店 そむり 別府本店 on May 9, 2024. I gave it a 3.7 on Tabelog.

This place is kitschy and tourist-trappy and possibly worth a visit anyway—at least if you're already in Beppu. It's a 30 minute bus ride from the city center, but its over-the-top hot springs are pretty amazing.

But once I'd looked at them I was pretty much ready to go.

I visited 風里 on May 8, 2024. I gave it a 4.0 on Tabelog.

I visited 昇陽 on May 8, 2024. I gave it a 3.0 on Tabelog.

Taking ferries in Japan is an entertaining diversion, especially as an American who didn't grow up around islands. We really enjoyed this three hour excursion as we traveled from one onsen town in Shikoku (Matsuyama) to another one in Kyushu (Beppu).

Also fun was the random Suzume film propwork created to promote the port's appearance as the main character traveled to Ehime.

I visited キノピオ・カフェ on May 7, 2024. I gave it a 3.4 on Tabelog.

I visited がブリチキン。 難波4丁目店 on May 7, 2024. I gave it a 3.3 on Tabelog.

I visited ＷＩＮＥ×鉄板料理 ば～る on May 7, 2024. I gave it a 3.6 on Tabelog.

I visited 道後舘 on May 7, 2024. I gave it a 3.3 on Tabelog.

I visited 魚武 on May 7, 2024. I gave it a 3.4 on Tabelog.

Famed as the oldest onsen (hot springs) bath in Japan, it's relatively tiny and cramped by today's standards, but it was cool to check it off the bucket list. The little onsen town that's grown up around this main building were definitely worth a visit, especially if you're a fan of Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away", as this onsen was apparently among their artistic inspirations.

If you go, I'd recommend staying where we did, at Dogokan (道後館) hotel.

I visited 亀の井ホテル 伊豆高原 on May 6, 2024. I gave it a 3.2 on Tabelog.

After visiting this onsen hotel in Izu last year, I decided to bring Becky this time and we had an absolutely wonderful time. Beautiful property, well-maintained. The staff really go above and beyond, too.

See my Tabelog check-in of their kaiseki dinner here.