Japan, April 1st 2026

Day trip from Osaka up northwest today, to more rural areas of Japan. Great to get out of big cities for a day.

Our first stop was Amanohashidate, known for a 3km long sand strip with a pine forest.

Perched on top of the nearby hill there is an amusement park with great view down to the sand bank.

I opted for the «no queue» somewhat dubious «no seatbelt» stairlift – turned out ok.

The view from the top was great. Heading down I grabbed some crab sushi lunch boz and headed out to the sand bank itself.

Out there I stumbled upon a small temple area, quite a tranquil mood out there.

Heading bacl to the small town centre I went into the temple grounds for a short peek.

Then onwards to Ine, which is a small fishing village, where the fishermens’ homes clutched the hillside down by the shoreline.

We had a small bay boat cruise where seagull feeding was on the agenda, however the kites stole the show, quite imposing birds of prey grabbing the chips with their claws.

A memorable day indeed – a very beautiful and serene village.