Jk's Reviews Page 1/15

At Kushida Shrine in downtown Hakata, Fukuoka, you’ll immediately be captivated by the strong traditional atmosphere of Hakata’s old downtown! Affectionately called “Okushida-san” by locals, it is Hakata’s oldest and most revered guardian shrine, as well as the central starting point of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival, which electrifies all of Japan every summer. The most eye-catching sight is definitely the enormous decorative yamakasa float permanently displayed on the shrine grounds! Standing a full two or three stories tall, this colorful float is densely covered on both sides with intricately crafted, lifelike historical warriors and figures from mythology. The colors are vibrant and the details are incredible. Standing underneath and looking up, its bold visual impact will have you snapping photos nonstop!

Miyajima Omotesando Shopping Street—the aroma of sizzling grilled oysters and the huge crowds completely overwhelm you! This covered arcade, stretching more than 300 meters, is the main hub for sampling great food and buying souvenirs on Miyajima. The roof protects you from both the sun and rain, while dozens of long-established local businesses and specialty shops line both sides. The air is filled with the aroma of charcoal-grilled seafood and the sweet scent of freshly baked momiji manju. As you stroll along and watch the shopkeepers enthusiastically call out to customers, you just can't stop eating!

Even from far away, you can see a bare, dark red peak suddenly rising out of the vast green forest, with thick white steam constantly billowing from all around its slopes. This is the incredibly impressive Mt. Showa-Shinzan! The story behind this mountain is unbelievable. This area was originally just a flat wheat field, but during the Showa era, a series of powerful earthquakes and volcanic crustal activity caused magma underground to forcefully push up the surface. In just two years, it grew into an active volcanic lava dome nearly 400 meters tall. Looking up from the trail at the foot of the mountain, the rough reddish-brown rock face is completely barren. Up close, you can see white steam continuously hissing out from cracks in the rocks and even smell a faint hint of sulfur. Seeing the powerful vitality of the earth pulsing from within with your own eyes feels just like witnessing a miracle of nature!

Seeing that huge red torii gate standing in the sea from afar really gives you goosebumps! This is the World Heritage Site Itsukushima Shrine, and the wildest part is that the entire shrine was built right on a beach where the tide comes and goes. It's incredibly unique!
At high tide, the seawater slowly rises, making the vermilion wooden corridors and shrine buildings look as if they're floating on the water. The red pillars are reflected in the blue sea, and every photo looks like a fairyland. At low tide, it's a completely different experience. Once the water recedes, the entire beach is exposed, and everyone can walk across the sand right underneath the huge torii gate. Looking up at those enormous camphorwood pillars, they're truly massive and spectacular up close. You can clearly see the barnacles and wood grain at the bottom—they're incredibly impressive!
Walking along the long wooden corridors with the cool sea breeze blowing toward you, you can even see the seawater flowing beneath your feet. You can often spot wild deer that aren't afraid of people leisurely wandering along the shore. They're incredibly adorable.

Looking up at that imposing dark brown castle keep instantly makes you feel as if you've traveled back to Japan's war-torn Sengoku and Edo periods! This ancient castle, one of Japan's Five National Treasure Castles, is also one of only 12 surviving original castle keeps in the country. It has completely preserved its appearance from when it was built more than 400 years ago. The exterior walls of the keep are covered with dark black wooden siding, and the boldly spreading eaves look both elegant and commanding, like a huge black bird about to take flight. That's why it earned the impressive nickname "Plover Castle"! Climbing the steep, sturdy old wooden stairs inside and walking across the thick wooden floors that make a deep sound underfoot, you eventually reach the observation level at the very top. The view is unbelievably open, offering an unobstructed 360-degree panorama of Matsue's cityscape as well as a distant view of sparkling Lake Shinji. The breeze blowing against your face feels incredibly refreshing!

Right beside Osaka’s Dotonbori Canal, there’s absolutely no way to miss the Don Quijote Dotonbori Store, with its giant yellow Ferris wheel and penguin mascot. This place is truly a late-night shopping paradise for all night owls and shopaholics! Every floor is packed with all kinds of extremely popular products, from the overwhelming selection of snacks, instant noodles, and matcha sweets at the first-floor entrance to beauty and skin care products, medicine, electronics, household goods, and even funny cosplay costumes upstairs. There are so many products stacked to the ceiling that it feels like a maze. Pushing a shopping basket through the narrow, bustling aisles while hunting for treasures, with the catchy signature theme song and lively checkout calls ringing in your ears, sends the thrill of shopping and your adrenaline straight through the roof!

Along Osaka’s Dotonbori Canal, it’s absolutely impossible to miss the massive yellow Ferris wheel built right into the exterior of the Don Quijote building—the Dotonbori Giant Ferris Wheel, “Ebisu Tower”! In the center is a huge statue of Ebisu, the god of fortune, holding a fishing rod and grinning from ear to ear. Together with the eye-catching yellow-and-black track, it perfectly captures Osaka’s over-the-top, humorous, and energetic character. Even just taking photos from across the canal makes for an impressive sight!
The wildest thing about this Ferris wheel is that it’s one of the world’s rare “oval-track Ferris wheels”! As the gondola slowly rises, your view gradually gets higher along the track, putting the entire Dotonbori Canal, sightseeing boats cruising back and forth, the famous Glico Running Man sign, and the dense sea of neon lights below you. Especially when it lights up at night, the dazzling cityscape and reflections on the river blend together. Looking down over the entire sleepless city from high above inside the gondola, with such a wide-open view, is an absolute thrill!

The entire hot spring town immediately surrounds you with a strong sense of old-world charm and relaxation! This is an ancient hot spring with over 1,300 years of history. Since ancient times, it has been highly praised as the “Bath of the Gods” in the Izumo no Kuni Fudoki. After just one soak, your skin feels as smooth and delicate as if you had just used a top-of-the-line skincare treatment, and after two, even all kinds of ailments are said to disappear. It’s renowned throughout Japan as the premier destination for beautiful-skin hot springs!
Stroll slowly along both sides of the Tamayu River, and you’ll see rows of traditional Japanese hot spring inns arranged harmoniously. In spring, both banks are covered in delicate pink cherry blossoms, making the area look like a secluded paradise. One of the best little pleasures while walking around town is the free natural footbaths found everywhere. Take off your shoes and socks and dip your feet into the steaming hot spring water, and the warmth instantly melts away the aches and fatigue in your feet. There’s even a “Hot Spring Water Jizo” along the street where you can fill a bottle directly. Many travelers bring small spray bottles and take home the freshest hot spring facial mist to keep their skin hydrated anytime, anywhere!
Continue up through the hot spring town, and at the end you’ll find Tamatsukuri-yu Shrine, which is associated with beautiful skin and matchmaking. Pick up your own special “wish stone” (kanai-ishi) at the shrine office, carry it to the sacred stone within the grounds, carefully wash it with the spring water, hold it close as you make a wish, and then place it in an amulet pouch to carry with you. It’s said to be extremely effective for finding love and making wishes come true. The whole ritual leaves you feeling both calm and full of anticipation.

Walking into Kobe Meriken Park, I looked up and was instantly captivated by the striking red tower with its incredibly graceful lines. This is Kobe Port Tower, Kobe’s most iconic landmark and symbol! The entire tower features an extremely rare structure inspired by the shape of a traditional Japanese wadaiko drum. Its vivid vermilion steel latticework intertwines in the air to create an elegant, slender waistline. Set against a blue sky with wispy white clouds overhead, it has both the refined elegance of a traditional instrument and the beauty of a modern skyscraper. It looks impressive no matter which upward angle you photograph it from!
Strolling slowly along the spacious, level, wood-patterned brick plaza by the harbor, I could feel the sea breeze on my face, carrying a slight chill and the scent of the ocean. The wide-open view immediately lifted my mood. Turning toward the calm blue bay, I could see the MOSAIC shopping complex across the water, the red-and-white Ferris wheel, and the large sightseeing boats docked along the harbor. Watching the boats glide slowly across the mirror-like harbor and cut through the water, while small groups of travelers occasionally passed by enjoying a walk and the breeze, gave the place such a relaxed, carefree port-city vacation rhythm that I just wanted to stop and zone out for a little longer.
The best experience at Kobe Port Tower is taking the elevator straight up to the observation deck. Standing inside the high-ceilinged observation room, you get a 360-degree view. On one side are downtown Kobe and the magnificent Rokko mountain range stretching into the distance, while on the other are the endless blue waters of the Seto Inland Sea and huge ships passing back and forth. The panoramic view of the entire port city, where mountains and sea come together, unfolds beneath your feet and is incredibly breathtaking.
At dusk and after dark, the entire harbor becomes unbelievably romantic! As the sun sets, the sea turns golden. Once darkness falls, Kobe Port Tower lights up with a warm, brilliant red glow, shining alongside the colorful neon lights of the Ferris wheel at MOSAIC across the water. Reflected in the shimmering black sea, the lights make Kobe’s night sky feel dreamlike.

Turn a corner from the lively, bustling shopping streets of Kobe Sannomiya, and an enormous, brilliant vermilion torii gate immediately appears before you, impressive and eye-catching. This is Ikuta Shrine, standing in the very heart of central Kobe! The shrine is so sacred that even the name “Kobe” originally came from the kanbe (神戸), households granted by the imperial court to support and protect Ikuta Shrine. You could say this sacred site is the very birthplace of the entire city of Kobe!
After passing through the towering torii gate and ornate two-story gate, you’ll see the worship hall, completely painted a vivid vermilion and especially striking against the blue sky, white clouds, and lush green trees. Ikuta Shrine enshrines Wakahirume-no-Mikoto, the goddess of weaving and matchmaking, so since ancient times it has been famous throughout the Kansai region as an incredibly powerful sacred place for love and relationships! The approach is lined with countless heart-shaped ema plaques, and many couples and travelers seeking a good match come here specifically to put their hands together in sincere prayer, wishing for lasting love and happiness.
Besides praying to the deity, the most delightful hidden experience on the grounds is the extremely popular “water fortune,” which you absolutely have to try! After getting a seemingly blank fortune slip from the shrine office, follow the signs into the peaceful Ikuta Forest behind the worship hall. Surrounded by towering ancient trees, this small forest feels like a secluded paradise amid the noise and bustle of downtown. At the clear pond in the woods, gently lay the fortune slip flat on the water. After a few seconds, black writing and a prediction of your fortune slowly emerge as if by magic. The mysterious and romantic process makes everyone hold their breath and rush to record it!
Strolling along the shaded wooden paths through Ikuta Forest, you’ll hear clear, pleasant birdsong and the gentle sound of flowing water. A soft breeze brushes your face, carrying refreshing phytoncides and a soothing atmosphere. The restlessness and exhaustion from shopping in Sannomiya moments earlier instantly melt away in this sacred forest of ancient trees, filled with a thousand years of spiritual energy.
In a single moment, you can go from a lively shopping district to a tranquil ancient shrine, where you can admire the bold classical beauty of brilliant vermilion architecture, experience the mysterious and fun water fortune, and enjoy a forest-bathing walk. Ikuta Shrine perfectly blends urban convenience with the spiritual atmosphere of an ancient shrine. It’s definitely a top walking spot in Kobe that’s worth making a special detour to visit and soak up plenty of happiness and good luck!