In a couple of days we will be on a ferry heading back to Osaka

We arrived at our hotel last night in the dark and quite tired. After a day of travelling by ferry from Yakushima and then riding several km trying to find the correct ferry to Kagoshima (after having already taken the wrong one), we were happy to see our hotel.

The kitchen at our hotel is well equipped and has high end appliances. It is well used by guests.

The lounge is our favourite place at Fairfield by Marriott Hotels as the focus is always on comfort and displaying local crafts and photos celebrating the location. The location of our hotel is on the beach where paddle boarding is a popular pursuit. There is also a large patio outside.

This lovely wooden vase has been created by a local craftsman.

Another plus of this hotel is that a Michi-no-Eki is right next door. We love Michi’s as they are an excellent reflection of the community… local crafts, farm produce, local fish and activities of the location. Plus there are always cafes, food outlets and ice cream onsite.

Daikon is a very popular vegetable with many uses in Japanese cuisine and is grown locally.

Pigs feet from a local farm…ready to eat after 2 min in a microwave.

Roasted sweet potatoes…ready to eat. This vegetable is very popular in Japan…. for baking, confectionaries, ice cream, etc.

Shirakumi (translates as white bear) is a dessert created in Kagoshima. Shaved ice with fresh fruit and sweetened condensed milk. Usually, the image of the dessert from above resembles the face of a white bear.

On a previous trip, we visited the shop in Kagoshima where Shirakumi was created and where we tried it for the first time.

While touring, we try to find a Michi on our route as the meals at the Michi’s restaurant are always excellent with local specialities and reasonably priced. Often we are the only gaijins (non Japanese) in a room filled with locals.

Today, we are eating at a bustling cafe in the Michi which is very busy. Once we could get a place to sit, we both chose the curry as it is so good. Barry had curry with rice and soup with udon noodles, a fish cake, local mushrooms and green onions..delicious.

I had udon noodles, yummy broth, fish cake and curry. Loved it.

We are having a great ride today. When we came to Kagoshima a few weeks ago, we enjoyed the steep downhill which lasted for several km. It was fun but the road is very busy. So today, we chose quiet, secondary roads with little traffic. We still had significant hills but so much more enjoyable without the cars.