This time I made a circle route from Sanda to the Japan Sea coast then down the back side of the country crossing back over to Okayama then back up to Kobe and home. I’ve been on various parts of this route 2 years before during winter when my Japanese was worse, and Japan travel skills were only in their beginner stage. Which made this trip so much better as I was able to compare my first experience with my most recent one.
Day One: Sanda to Tottori
This got me out into the middle of the country.
Here I changed on to the rail line that follows the Japan Sea side of the country.
Kinosaki Onsen -> Amarube (San-in Main Line) 城崎温泉 -> 餘部 (山陰本線)
Here I got off to admire a great steel bridge spanning a small seaside valley. The bridge has always been a favorite among train fans, but recently the bridge was slated for replacement by a more typical concrete one. This bridge was also made famous by an accident that occurred there when a train was blown off the bridge by a gust of wind.
Sign showing the way to the train station up on the hill. It says it's a 5 minute walk. I think I made it faster than that however.
Here I just changed on to a continuing train to Tottori.
In Tottori I took a bus to the Tottori Sakyu Japan’s largest sand dune.
Day Two: Tottori to Nima to Matsue
I decided to head further down the San-in coast to the Nima Sand Museum. I wanted to go to this museum last time I came through here, but I didn’t have the time this time. The Sand Museum is home to the world’s largest hourglass which times out an entire year.
I returned to Matsue found a local hotel to stay at. That night I found a great local bar and chatted with the locals.
Day Three: Matsue to Kobe via Okayama
Matsue -> Shinji (San-in Main Line) 松江 -> 宍道 (山陰本線) 
The Kisuki line was probably the most remote line that I took during my trip which is famous for its switchback. It went through tight valleys up into the mountains that make up the spine of Honshu. When we began on the trip from Shinji station the train was made up of two cars which despite the crowded conditions on the front car the back car was closed off. Most of that crowding on the train was travelers on the Seisun 18 Kippu like me including two families. I couldn’t help but think that I would be dragging my children on some middle of nowhere train trip like this in the future.
One train heading West the other heading East in the center of Honshu, both waiting for us.
Because it was around 7PM when I was done with the sento and aching to get back home, I put out the cash for a Shinkansen ticket and had to stand next to the bathroom for my 35 minute non-stop ride to Shin-Kobe.
Food from the trip.
Due to historical, political and geographical reasons Japan has a regional mentality. This is augmented by a gift giving culture and giving a give that is branded with the place is quite important. Also, having locally produced and sourced food is also quite important. This has led to the development of ekiben, more photos here on the Japanese Wikipedia ekiben entry, which are box lunches sold at train stations. These are different depending on the station.
It was a great trip and I really, really was reminded about how much I love this country and how much I love living here. I can’t recommend the Seishun 18 Kippu enough.
You can check out all my photos here!
