justin․searls․co

Ever go to a place and think, "I should tell other people about this place?" or, "I should save this location so I can find it later." Well, I do. So I started logging the spots I visit. Below you'll find a global map of the pins I've dropped so far, as well as a feed of all my latest spots.

(Hint: because the global map contains a lot of closely-clustered pins, you may need to zoom in significantly to select individual spots. Try going full screen!)


Kumamoto Castle

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!

Somuri

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.

Hyotan Onsen

We went here after braving Beppu's seven hells, and it was a good way to wash off all the kitsch. The baths are straightforward but well-designed, particularly the 打たせ waterfall baths on the men's side (with narrow streams falling 20 feet or so for extra pressure)

The Seven Hells of Beppu

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.

Uwajima Ferry

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.

Dogo onsen

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.