A little spring road trip with the kids

Let’s go somewhere Mummy!

In Japan there is a ceremony held in elementary schools at the age of 10. It celebrates the fact the kids are halfway to adulthood. Each school probably has their own traditions, but my kids’ school asked each parent and child to write and exchange a letter. One of the things my daughter wrote in her letter to me a couple of months ago, was that she wanted to spend more time as a family and travel more. This is largely part of the reason I decided to take them on a little road trip last week.

Is it safe to do a road trip?

I was uncertain at first, because obviously travelling could increase our risk of exposure to coronavirus. However, I decided that since we would be driving, staying with friends and remaining in rural areas, the risk would be relatively low. At least, I wouldn’t think it would be much higher than visiting my local supermarket or convenience store?

I consulted with the girls and suggested that for our road trip we go to Tokushima in Shikoku to visit a friend and then cross over to Hino and go and visit Mt. Daisen. It would involve a fair amount of driving and due to work, my husband would be unable to come with us, but they were still very keen to go. We joked and said it would be a “girls` trip”.

Yamaguchi to Tokushima

We decided to get up a little early on the Monday our road trip started. We were all packed up and in the car ready to leave by 7am. All three of us said that next time, maybe we should leave even earlier. There’s just something exciting about getting up early when you travel, don’t you think?

The drive ended up taking about 8 hours because we stopped off a lot on the way. It was fun though. We crossed the Shimanami Kaido which is a 60km long toll road that crosses over several islands and connects the main Japanese island of Honshu with the island of Shikoku. This road is actually a popular route for walkers or cyclists too. The views are well worth a trip, whichever means you use.

Tokushima

In Tokushima we were lucky to catch the full bloom of the sakura (cherry blossom) trees that Japan is renowned for. We had a picnic under the trees in a very isolated spot. It appeared to be a mostly abandoned park. I have no idea why more people weren’t there, but I definitely enjoyed the quiet. Some popular viewing spots in Japan can get quite crowded.

Tokushima to Hino

We stayed in Tokushima for a couple of nights and then we continued our road trip across to Hino-cho in Tottori prefecture. This is where I lived in Japan when I first came here nearly 19 years ago.

The drive only took about four hours. This time we crossed another of three possible bridge crossings, the Seto-Ohashi. There’s a parking area halfway across where you can stop and take in the view.

Hino Town

Hino-cho is a small town with a population of only around 3300 people. It is in a truly beautiful area though. It’s not far from Mt. Daisen of course, but there are some more notable local features, which are perhaps less well known outside of the area. These are the Mandarin Ducks which flock there in winter, the yearly festival that takes place in July and the fact that the Hino River is quite a good place for canoeing.

Tottori Flower Park

The following day, we went to Tottori Flower Park, then to the coast to see the Sea of Japan and finally to Mt. Daisen.

We had an amazing time at the flower park. It has been unusually warm this year and it has made international news that the Sakura bloomed earlier than usual this year. Wandering around the park, in the spring sunshine, seeing the colourful flowers and blossoms was one of the highlights of our whole trip.

The Sea of Japan

Our trip to the shore was unfortunately short lived, due to the wind. Actually, the wind is not all bad. I’ve heard Tottori is quite a good spot in Japan for surfing. Further up the coast, towards Tottori city, it is apparently good for big waves in the winter. However, for our plans – to sit and journal or write, with a nice view in front of us – it wasn’t quite what we were looking for, so we headed inland, to Mt. Daisen.

Mt. Daisen

This is the spot we found; the mountain behind us and a view of Yonago and the Sea of Japan in front. My phone camera doesn’t do the view enough justice, but I assure you it was absolutely divine. My girls and I spread out on the grass and we spent a good hour writing. Both of them said it was the highlight of the trip. I believe being outside in nature is truly something we could all benefit from doing more of, whatever our age.

The road trip home

The final drive home took about 5.5 hours because we decided to stop off on the way and take some time to write again.

One of the things I love about the Chugoku highway, which runs down the middle of the Chugoku region of Japan, is the fact this road winds through beautiful mountains. We stopped at a parking area midway and spent almost an hour writing or journaling again in the warm sunshine.

Final thoughts

The places we visited for the most part probably aren’t the kind of thing you’d see in a guidebook of Japan. You would be more likely to encounter huge temples, history rich castles and other stereotypically famous sights. For me though, the places off the beaten track are what truly make Japan the amazing place it is. There is beauty everywhere, even in the simplest thing; even in a lowly parking area in the middle of a road through the mountains.