Last Thursday we left Kyoto and headed southwest towards Matsuyama (Ehime). A little backstory–we had originally planned on spending our four weeks in Japan only in Tokyo. When we dreamed up this trip, we wanted to try really living in places around the world where we would rent an apartment, discover the best grocery stores, find a favourite restaurant, see not just the “must see” sights but also the hidden gems and really get a feel for a place. But since we book our accommodations ahead of time (necessary due to budget and number of occupants), we quickly found out that if we didn’t like a place (Delhi), then we were “stuck” there. Also, you don’t get a feel for the country as a whole if you only stay in one city.

We were rethinking our plan to stay in Tokyo for a month when we ran into a lovely couple in Ella, Sri Lanka. She was from South Africa and he was born in Bend, Oregon but had Japanese roots. They gave us a list of places we should visit to get a good sense of what Japan is like as a whole, and that is how we ended up spending a few days in Matsuyama. We are so glad we decided to do this three-week road trip instead of just staying in Tokyo because we have seen some really incredible landscapes, have an idea of what village life is like here and got a more well-rounded feel for Japan as a whole. It does mean that we have spent long days in the car, have packed and unpacked numerous times, and have struggled with balancing school time with sightseeing time with downtime since we had just a few days in each location. But overall we are happy with our choice!

As we drove to Matsuyama last Thursday, we came across this rest stop with a ferris wheel! (Never have I seen more ferris wheels than in Japan. On almost every drive, we spot one in the distance.) The weather was perfect and the views were incredible. The girls are always a bit reluctant to get out of the car, but agreed afterwards that it was worth it.

Our next stop, Oasahiko Shrine, was less popular with the girls. But I thought it was so beautiful! Tucked into the forest where there was a small stone bridge (known as the German Bridge, built by German prisoners of war who were captured in World War I and held in the Bando POW camp located here, as a token of their gratitude to the local residents) and a smaller shrine up the steps. It was so beautiful, calm and nature-focused, as are many places here in Japan.

Then we arrived at our rental house that turned out to be quite spacious. Everyone loved having room to spread out (Olivia and Luisa spent a lot of time crafting) and there was a piano for our musicians. The place was in a rural village without much going on, but that was fine.

On Friday we drove to Matsuyama to see the Matsuyama Castle which was beautiful. We took this single chair lift up the mountain which was really fun. Then we just walked around and explored the grounds. The girls opted out of touring the castle, so Steffen and I went in and played around a little. We were again struck by the kindness and playfulness of the Japanese who helped Steffen get dressed in the Samurai outfit. Good times! And the girls kept themselves occupied by doing some rock art.

From there we walked into town, grabbed some lunch and came across a foot bath! We didn’t have a lot of time to explore the city, but we liked what we saw.

On Saturday the girls opted to stay home while Steffen and I took two short hikes. The forest and the waterfalls are just gorgeous! Our first hike was to Shiraino Falls.

Then we took a 20 minute drive along a road that looks like it was drawn in crayon by a toddler! But the views were amazing and the next forest somehow felt so different, even though it was so close by. The trees were different, giving off a completely different vibe. Very cool! Here we hiked to Karakai Falls.

That night the girls again opted to stay home (a well-deserved and much needed break!) so Steffen found a restaurant on google maps that wasn’t too far away. It was in a very random location and was quite small but turned into an amazing experience. First, the food was fantastic! But more importantly, the people working there were fun and funny and enjoyed having us there, trying hard to communicate and explain things through the translation app, hand motions and laughs. At one point, one of the other patrons shared his sushi with us so we could try something new. It was wonderful and so fun!

The next day we packed out and headed to our next destination, Osaka. The couple we had met in Sri Lanka suggested staying in Kobe, but I could not find any accommodations there so ended up finding a place in nearby Osaka. But I did want to see Kobe, so we stopped there on our drive. I picked Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens as our one sight to see, and we all loved it! So, so beautiful. It was a Sunday on a holiday weekend, so there was an hour-long line to get up there and the Christmas Market area was incredibly crowded, but once we started walking down, the crowds thinned out. We took the gondola up and then did the hike down, finding the waterfalls just as darkness descended.